After running his family’s beloved shop, Salerno’s Apizza, in Stratford, Connecticut, for decades, Carlo Salerno was pretty much done. He’d planned to retire at 80 years old anyway, even if that meant closing the pizzeria, which his parents, Bill (Vito) and Josephine Salerno, founded in 1947.
The business climate, Salerno stated in a Facebook announcement on June 13, 2023, just wasn’t favorable for a pizza restaurant. “We have owned and operated Salerno’s for over 75 years and at this time, it’s become increasingly difficult for me to keep our doors open. Let’s face it, the COVID years….the shortage of qualified workers….and the current recession has devastated the restaurant business in Connecticut…. Look around….Sadly, Salerno’s is no exception.”
But once he’d shuttered the shop in July 2023, Salerno kept hearing from customers who missed his famous Scamorza pizza and other menu items. He remained active on Facebook, posting about camping trips, celebrating family members’ birthdays and sharing old black-and-white photos depicting the long-running restaurant’s legacy.
Clearly, the energetic pizzaiolo—who still sports a full head of long, silvery hair—didn’t want to lay Salerno’s Apizza completely to rest. And now he has announced its comeback. Salerno’s will reopen soon in Shelton, Connecticut, he wrote in an October 19, 2024, post on Facebook.
That likely came as no surprise to the restaurant’s many fans. Just a couple of months after Salerno’s closed last year—he’d made 300 Scamorza pizzas that final day as crowds queued up on the sidewalk outside for a last tasty bite—Salerno was back with a Facebook announcement on September 26, 2023. He was “loving retirement,” he wrote, but, he added, “There is some interest in reopening Salerno’s in a different location…but still in Stratford. I cannot divulge much at this time, but for those of you who love Salerno’s…cross your fingers!”
In another post the following month, he offered more detail: “There’s a couple of hard-working guys interested in not letting Salerno’s Apizza fall by the wayside. In a meeting this morning we all agreed to find a suitable place to reopen. Nothing etched in stone yet…maybe in the Shelton/Stratford area…location is everything. I’ll keep you all in the loop as soon as I hear anything. Thank you all for being interested. We at Salerno’s love you……”
Now it appears to be official. “We’re working on moving to a brand-new town, Shelton,” he announced on October 19 of this year…getting ready to start a new chapter with all of you. While we can’t reveal the exact location just yet, as we are still negotiating on the exact location, we promise it’s coming soon!”
That post was greeted with 595 reactions and 410 comments. “It may NOT be in Stratford,” one follower wrote, “But I’m glad that Salerno’s is RETURNING!” Another wrote, “Love it, I’ll be first at the door. Please consider keeping that old-school appearance with all the classic model cars and oldies playing. Loved that atmosphere. Good luck!”
In a response to one commenter who asked Salerno if he was coming out of retirement, he replied, “I personally won’t be physically working…I’ll be in the background making sure all is well.”
Salerno’s retirement and closure of his restaurant sparked headlines all over Connecticut last year, and the media has also touted its comeback with stories running in the Connecticut Post, the Daily Voice and WestFairOnline.
