D'Ignazio's Towne House Restaurant Releases Official Statement by the Family on the Closing of this Iconic Restaurant

I received the following statement from Fred D'Ignazio this morning.  I don't know if I could have said it any better when quoted for an article about the Towne House earlier this year.

Media lifelong resident Tedman O’Hara is a Towne House regular and has spent much time there. 

“D’Ignazio’s Towne House isn’t just one of Delaware County’s best family-run establishments, it is family,” said O’Hara. “Whether celebrating christenings, birthday parties, first dates, graduations, alumni banquets, wedding receptions or retirement dinners, as a longtime resident of the area, many of us grew up with this place and share a lifetime of special memories with our friends and family.”
- See more at: http://media.thetowndish.com/2015/03/towne-house-restaurant-celebrates-65-years-of-success/#sthash.wyoEbGd0.dpuf

Closing of D’Ignazio’s Towne House Restaurant, Media Landmark for 63 Years

The D’Ignazio family announced on Wednesday, September 30, 2015, that their restaurant, D’Ignazio’s Towne House, will close in the latter part of December, 2015, after 65 years in business at the same location – the corner of Baltimore Pike (Route 1) and South Avenue, in Media.  The restaurant was founded by noted local businessman, Babe D’Ignazio and his wife Libby, in 1950. From its early days as a single-room bar (the Stag Bar), until its present form occupying most of a city block, the Towne House has been one of Media’s leading businesses and has employed thousands of local residents and entertained tens of thousands of customers over more than a half century in which it has done business.

The D’Ignazio family wishes to thank all of its customers and its employees for their loyalty and service for so many years. Many of the Towne House’s customers and staff members have been with the Towne House for more than 25 years. 

The restaurant will cease a la carte service in the latter part of October. 

The Towne House will stop serving banquets, weddings and other parties in late December.

The closing of the Towne House is due to the sale of the D’Ignazio’s family property on both sides of Baltimore Pike to a high-quality buyer. The D'Ignazio family is confident that this company will be a good business partner with the Town of Media and local residents.

“Our Mom, Libby D’Ignazio, passed on May 29^th of this year. Our Dad, Babe, passed away on November 24, 2008,” says Fred D’Ignazio. “They were the motivating spirits of D’Ignazio’s Towne House. Once our parents passed away, all four of their children felt it was the right thing to move on. Like an athlete still in his prime, we felt it was better to make the decision now rather than to wait any longer. We make this decision with great sadness, but we feel it is the right thing to do. We want to honor our Mom and our Dad and do this thing the right way.”

On Wednesday, September 30^th the Towne House staff was informed of the decision to close the restaurant by the General Manager, Joe Kirkwood. Joe, his staff, and the D’Ignazio family are now in the process of calling all their major customers and local officials to inform them of the family’s decision to close the restaurant.

For more information, please contact Babe and Libby’s four children and the General Manager of the Towne House:

Fred D’Ignazio                                   919-244-7601                     fred.dignazio@gmail.com

Tim D’Ignazio                                     215-760-6774                     timdignazio@gmail.com

Lisa Carnie                                           610-246-0886                     lisatanker5@gmail.com

Owsley D’Ignazio                             215-520-8571                     owsley55@yahoo.com

Joe Kirkwood                                     267-251-0285                     joseph@townehouse.com
Towne House GM