GREENWICH, CT — After the current tenant of Ada’s Kitchen + Coffee in Riverside, Michael Pietrafeso, said in October that he would be leaving due to a proposed rent increase, property owner Ron Romaniello announced the tradition of the beloved eatery would live on as he was seeking to lease the space to someone new.
Now after receiving “unsolicited calls” about the availability of the building, Romaniello said he and his family have changed course.
“Selling had not entered our minds, as we were fully committed to signing a new tenant and delivering 75 years of Ada’s in 2025,” Romaniello said in an email to Patch Friday.
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“While we were moving towards leasing the space to an external tenant, once we were approached, it made us rethink our direction,” Romaniello added. “Before inking a private deal, we decided to publicly list the property for sale. The people of Riverside are extremely passionate about Ada’s, and we believe there is someone here in the community who will appreciate and nurture this property just as we have.”
As a result, the building that houses Ada’s, located at 112 Riverside Ave., and an adjacent multi-family home, have been listed for sale at $3.25 million. The home is 3,100 square feet and has two residential units on a half-acre lot, according to the listing description shared with Patch.
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Additionally, the 73-year-old trade name “Ada’s” is included in the offering. Cheryl Makrinos of Sotheby’s International Realty is the listing agent.
Ada’s offers breakfast, lunch and dinner to go. Customers can find a variety of scratch-made sandwiches, wraps, salads, bowls, pastries, locally roasted artisan coffee, tea and smoothies, and candy, an homage to the penny candy shop that operated in the same building for decades under owner Ada Cantavero, who died in 2008. Romaniello is Cantavero’s nephew.
The building, which dates back to 1900, was also once home to the Riverside Post Office.
Social media was abuzz with disappointment at the news. An online petition was started by residents to try and come to a resolution and save the current iteration of Ada’s. To date, the petition has garnered over 3,143 signatures.
The current lease is set to end on Feb. 22, 2024, according to Romaniello. Pietrafeso has operated Ada’s since 2016.
“A sale represents not just the end of an era, but the beginning of a new chapter for both our family and the property itself,” Romaniello added.
Past attempts to reach Pietrafeso have been unsuccessful
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