Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | October 28, 2024 | Worcester Business Journal 31 35th Anniversary WBJ NOTIFICATIONS OFF Our daily struggle with digital over-stimulation is continuous and real. With emails, pop-up ads, and notifications, we are often in sensory overload. Reading a print publication is a focused experience outside of the digital realm. Printed content has tested better with brand recall than digital, and is easier on the eyes. Bottom line: printed publications provide readers with a meaningful and memorable experience. We help you create compelling publications so your readers truly understand the allure of the printed word. cummingsprinting.com but also of the place and setting. e El Morroco restaurant permanently closed in 1994 and was torn down in 2003. Putnam & urston's on Mechanic Street in Worcester was considered a fine dining spot, offering the iconic Caesar salad tableside. I interviewed Frank Purdue of Purdue Farms at "Put's" in the early days of my career. What I remember most about that day was Purdue's admission that he disliked people who interrupted him at restaurants and on planes to ask for his autograph. At Put's he agreed, unsmiling. In the late 1980s, John Piccolo operated one of three delicatessens on Main Street in downtown Worcester. "Tommy Oliveri's Bushel 'N Peck deli was a strong competitor," recalled Piccolo. FYI: omas J. Oliveri Sr. established the flagship location of Elsa's Bushel 'N Peck in Tatnuck Square and also Peppercorn's on Park Avenue, Oli's in West Boylston, and Prezo Grille & Bar in Milford. Rovezzi's on Main Street was long recognized as one of the city's best food spots and a meeting destination for politicians, judges, and downtown workers. "At lunch, you couldn't get into the place," Piccolo said. "By the mid-90s, Main Street food spots started closing shop and things went downhill," he said. "Chains like Friendly's and McDonald's even le the city." e five- story building that housed Irish Times on Main Street closed in 2008 aer foreclosure. Back to the future Not all doom and gloom, however. e popular restaurant and cra beer destination Armsby Abbey (2008 opening) and deadhorse Hill, which has propped up North Main Street since 2016 in the building that housed Ritual restaurant, have built a loyal customer base. ere are a couple of other go-to places, such as Spoodles Deli in the former Elsa's location. ere was a time when diners complained that restaurants no longer served a free side salad with a meal and the pre-appetizer bread basket was no longer a staple at their favorite restaurant. ese days, it's more about how drinks at a restaurant can cost more than food. It's also interesting to note that as the price of condiments increases, some restaurants look into incorporating those costs into their menus. A local restaurant recently charged 50 cents extra for soy sauce. No comment. The Boulevard Diner, circa 2008 C.C. CHAPMAN PHOTO / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

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