It’s been a few months since we were able to eat at Italy in Town at 120 N. Market Street in Downtown Benton. The owner, Chico Santos, became very ill at the end of 2021 and posted a sign on the door that the restaurant would be temporarily closed. Later, we found out that Chico passed away.
Friends of Chico, along with former restaurant staff, mourned his loss but decided perhaps the restaurant could go on. After weeks of planning and dealing with various state entities – the Secretary of State’s office, the Department of Health, the Alcoholic Beverage Commission – they confirmed with MySaline that they will open again on Wednesday, February 16th.
The address for Italy in Town is 120 N Market Street, Benton, Arkansas.
I spoke with Jennifer Donnor, owner of The Oil Shop on the other side of Market Street. She and her son Jon Donnor, formed a corporation for this purpose, and Jon will act as owner of the restaurant. Chefs Oscar Perez and Eli Tapia will run the kitchen.
Jennifer said, “The menu will be the same, with additional weekly specials and exciting new items such as Beef Carpaccio.”
They also changed the logo, only slightly, including a nod to Chico at the bottom.
At this time, reservations highly recommended. They plan on adding online to go ordering soon. To start, hours will be Wednesday-Thursday, 4:00-9:00 p.m., Fri & Sat, 4:00-10:00 p.m. The Facebook page will be the same as before – https://www.facebook.com/ItalyinTownBenton. Watch for updates there soon.
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