Popular Downtown Restaurant Ending Service After This Summer

A restaurant you know and love is going to be changing the way they do things soon.  After this summer, they will no longer offer a dinner service.

It sounds confusing, but it makes sense.  Osteria 166 is going to continue offering dinner service for a couple of days a week this summer but will then pivot to a new strategy in the fall.

Having An A La Carte Restaurant In Buffalo Isn't Sustainable

In an interview with Buffalo Business First, owner Nick Pitillo says that it's just not sustainable to have an a la carte restaurant downtown because there just aren't enough people there to sustain it.

“Frankly, there’s just no people here and revenue has dropped six or sevenfold in the last few years. We used to be open for 11 meal periods a week and now we’re open four. It’s well-documented how many people are no longer in downtown Buffalo.” - Osteria 166 founder Nick Pitillo

He is planning on having the restaurant open for dinner service on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday through the summer, but then plans to change the way they do business.

What is next for Osteria 166?

They are currently in the process of converting the former Knights of Columbus Hall at 1841 Whitehaven Blvd. into an event space. That space will then have catering provided by his catering company, "Occasions by Osteria."

He will also offer to rent out the entire restaurant for special occasions.  When there are events at Shea’s Performing Arts Center, special conventions, and the KeyBank Arena.