Angelo’s on Main will close its doors for good on Saturday, Dec. 23, and plans are being finalized for a local restaurant group to take over the food service at West Hartford’s Rockledge Golf Club.

By Ronni Newton

The Town of West Hartford sent out an RFP in September for a new operator for the restaurant at Rockledge Golf Club, and is finalizing plans with a local restaurant group to run the facility beginning in 2018.

“Beachland Group is our preferred provider,” Town Manager Matt Hart confirmed Thursday, just days before Angelo’s on Main closes its doors for good.

The town has not made a public announcement of the bid award because the final contract is still being negotiated with Beachland, but it has been rumored for weeks and Hart said he expects the lease terms to be finalized in the next week or two.

Beachland Group is run by Chip Kohn, who owns two other West Hartford restaurants – Beachland Tavern on New Britain Avenue as well as Park Tavern on Park Road.

“Beachland plans to renovate the entire inside, the whole place,” Kohn said Thursday. He said he is hoping to have the lease signed within the next two weeks so the work can begin.

A spring 2018 opening is expected, Hart said. In addition to the main restaurant, Beachland Group will also operate the snack bar and concession stand on the golf course.

The Town of West Hartford has already made some upgrades to the restaurant facility in advance of the change in operator. Director of Leisure and Social Services Helen Rubino-Turco said previously that a small kitchen storage addition was completed earlier this year that helped address code issues.

Renovations to the deck have already been made and will be completed after the winter, updates required for safety and code issues, as well as for aesthetic purposes. In October the Town Council unanimously approved use of $45,000 of interest from the Morway Trust to fund a portion of the work.

The name of the new restaurant has not yet been chosen. “There are a couple of concepts under discussion,” Hart said.

Kohn said that “Rockledge” will definitely be included in the name that is ultimately chosen. He said he looks forward to sharing the rest of the details soon.

Angelo Chirico, who has run Angelo’s on Main since Jan. 1, 2002, will be retiring to South Carolina. The restaurant will close for good after a special dinner event on Saturday, Dec. 23.

Chirico published the following message for customers on the Angelo’s on Main website:

After 16 years of uninterrupted service, providing thousands of meals and a lifetime of memories, we will be closing our doors as Angelo’s on Main on the beautiful Rockledge Golf course at the end of this year. I want to say a special thank you to my family and  all my co workers for without them, I never could have done this.

I would also like to thank each and every one of you who supported us during our time here. I wish the best to the new owners and I also send a heartfelt thank you to all my customers who through the years have now become our friends. Until we meet again, thank you and God Bless,

Sincerely, 

Angelo

For more information about Saturday night’s final dinner, call Angelo’s on Main at 860-313-0460.

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