By MARK SARDELLA
WAKEFIELD —— It truly is the end of an era.
For 38 years, Brothers Deli-Restaurant has been serving up home-cooked Greek and American-style meals and sandwiches at 404 Main St. in Wakefield’s downtown.
The business will continue, but owners Jimmy and Maria Assimakopoulos have decided to retire and sell the business, closing not just a chapter in their own lives but turning the page on an era in downtown Wakefield.
Representatives of the new ownership group, PK Brothers, Inc., appeared before the Town Council last week to apply for a Common Victualler’s License from the town. The Common Victualler application lists Parag Patel as the new owner. Jimmy and Maria were also on hand for the meeting and it was noted that they will remain a presence for a time at the restaurant to assist with the transition to the new owners.
The board recognized and thanked outgoing owners Jimmy and Maria for all of their contributions to the community, calling Brothers “a Wakefield institution.” Town Councilor Edward Dombroski went a step further, calling it “the heart and soul of downtown Wakefield.”
The incoming owners operate several successful restaurants in the Boston area, including Bill’s Pizzeria in Newton Center and Lo Conte’s in Boston’s North End.
The new owners plan to re-open the bar at Brothers, which closed several years ago when business was no longer serving dinner. The liquor license application will require a separate hearing at a later date.
The new owners said that they plan to expand the hours to include dinner as well as breakfast and lunch. “Our plan is to open it back up and keep it going like it used to be,” they said.
The Town Council approved the Common Victualler’s license for the new owners.
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The Town Council voted unanimously last week to adopt a Municipal Housing Trust Declaration. Town Meeting voted last May to create a Municipal Affordable Housing Trust in Wakefield.
Municipal Affordable Housing Trusts (MAHTs) allow municipalities to collect funds for affordable housing, segregate them out of the general municipal budget into a trust fund, and utilize these funds for local initiatives to create and preserve affordable housing. In Massachusetts, 130 communities have created such trusts.
It was noted that Wakefield already has $700,000 in a fund that can be used as seed money for the local MAHT.
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The board held another discussion related to a possible “asset naming policy” to govern procedures for how town-owned properties such as buildings, parks and other assets can be named in memory of a person.
Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio discussed some of his thoughts on what should go into such a policy and asked board members to contact him with their ideas. A draft policy on naming town-owned assets will be presented to the Town Council for a vote in the fall.
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Jennifer McDonald, who heads the town’s Communications Department, provided an update on her department’s activities, including website, social media and other digital outreach efforts as well as event organizing.
The board also heard from Todd Bowden who provided an update on the town’s Information Technology Department.
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In other matters last week, the Town Council:
- Appointed Rabbi Greg Hersh of Temple Emmanuel to the Human Rights Commission.
- Appointed Paul Mochi as the vacation replacement for the Building Inspector.
- Approved a Common Victualler license for Boba Tea & Snow Ice House, 8 Albion Street.
- Approved a request from the West Side Social Club for an extension of Liquor License hours for one day on Sunday, August 20, 2023.
- Approved a request to accept and expend gifts to the Council on Aging in the amount of $215.00 from various donors.