Bove’s restaurant, one of downtown Burlington’s most cherished eateries, is closing its doors after nearly 74 years of dishing out classic Italian fare.
The Bove family said in an announcement Friday that they plan to focus on their wholesale and catering operations, and will move the business to a warehouse and distribution center in Milton. The family will close the Pearl Street restaurant on December 23 and turn the space into a catering headquarters.
“Today, Bove’s fans here and around the country are far more interested in bringing our pasta sauces, lasagna and meatballs into their own homes to prepare, versus visiting the restaurant,” the family said in a prepared statement. “So we know the time is right for us to take our next big step. Bringing more Bove’s to more people around the country best positions us to serve a wider audience of fans for the next 75 years.”
The restaurant was founded by Luis and Victoria Bove in 1941 and once hosted President John F. Kennedy. Bernie Sanders has been a regular for decades.
But the Boves’ business has evolved to focus on retail sales — jars of Bove’s sauce can be found in stores across the country.
Dick Bove, Louis and Victoria’s son, has officially retired, the family announced. Dick’s sons, Mark and Rick, are the third generation of the family to run the business.
Correction, December 7, 2015: A previous version of this story contained an error regarding the age of the restaurant.
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So many great memories and great meals. And take out for sick friends and family. Really wish Boves’s would re-think this and add an Italian market. Burlington loved and embraced Bove’s authentic Italian. Try an great Italian market and people will come. A place where patrons can buy fresh meatballs, bread, cheeses. Meals to go. Fantastic Italian desserts. Free bus rides to entertainment venues with dinner purchases. So many options. I hope the doors don’t close. Reinvent yourself with all your history and prized recipes!
The end of the working class Italian neighborhood that was torn down for development but for a few places that reminded us of once what was there. This is the final nail in the coffin. Folks will have to travel to the north end of Boston to find something compatible.
I’m HEARTBROKEN to hear this.
I remember queueing up on the sidewalk, in the dead of winter, just to wait for a table, so I could enjoy the best spaghetti & meatballs of all time, preceded, of course, with one of their incomperable antipastos.
I am a huge fan of their off-the-shelf products, so I can enjoy the tastes of their products in my own home, but NOTHING will ever replace the sights and smells of sitting down in the restaurant, eagerly anticipating a plate of heaven to be set down in front of me.
One of the greatest losses to ever stain the Burlington culinary landscape.
I will go there as much as possible, prior to their closing date… And I’m sure to shed a tear or three every time.
Oh, sadness in our household. We lived in Burlington during the Bernie Years and Bove`s was part of our happy days in Vermont. Terrific food, character, history, ambience, a real meeting place for us.
We live near Boston now and will always seek out the Bove`s products here. Thanks, Bove Family, for a wonderful presence. Good luck in your new direction and thanks for the memories.
Summer and winter when we would go to Vermont for vacation. We always went to Boves. It was my Dad’s favorite place to go. And our too! We would think of going no where else. I know they will be missed by the people that would love to go for dinner. But I wish them all the best! I can’t say that there is one thing I loved to eat there over another. Everything was always so good!!!
Wednesday lasagna night will be sadly missed.
Thank god Costco sells bove’s spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce, and meatballs! Il miss this place!
my parents used to get the spaghetti and meatballs and the antipata salad i loved it gonna miss that
Sad for us patrons, but I wish them the best of luck
I love their alfredo sauce and find it hard to find even here in Vermont. Most stores have every other type of Bove’s sauce but not alfredo. Also, I come from NJ and had never heard of it until I moved here two years ago. Now, even though I usually purchase only organic groceries, I go out of my way to look for Bove’s alfredo sauce!