CLOSED: Minerva’s Pizza Owner Says Washington Bridge Closure Hit Her Business

CLOSED: Minerva’s Pizza Owner Says Washington Bridge Closure Hit Her Business

Minerva’s Pizza was an institution in Wayland Square in Providence for about 50 years.

 

The local Greek-style pizzeria restaurant survived recessions, the credit union crisis, The Great Recession, and blizzards, but it could not survive the impact of the Washington Bridge closure.

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The December Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) Washington Bridge failure hit Minerva's in two ways.

 

The bridge closure pushed traffic over to the Henderson Bridge, which emptied onto South Angell Street and made the street in front of the shop a virtual parking lot, making it nearly impossible for customers to drive to the shop.

 

Kaylin Maloney Habchi, who has owned the restaurant for years, told GoLocal that the bridge closure had a significant impact —  dramatically decreasing the size of the market she served.

 

One advantage of Minerva’s was that it had its own delivery. It was fast, and the drivers cared about the food.

 

She said the bridge closure impacted her and her customers because she had built a significant delivery business to the East Bay.

 

“Especially after COVID, I built my delivery business in the East Bay,” she told GoLocal. 

 

After GoLocal reported the closure, nearly 1,000 shared the article on Facebook. The Saturday story announcement of the end of Minerva's generated comments such as:

 

“NOOOOOO!!!!! I grew up in the 70’s and 80’s eating their food as I grew up on the East Side!!!! This is an absolute tragedy!!!!