Fifth Floor restaurant owner feels he's let Youngstown down

YOUNGSTOWN

On the last night his restaurant was open, George Guarnieri greeted his guests with hugs instead of menus.

Tears were seen, instead of laughs heard, as Guarnieri embraced those who came for a last hurrah on Thursday at The Fifth Floor inside downtown Youngstown’s Commerce Building.

“This is home,” said Sue Greaves, a customer from McDonald.

Greaves came to the last hurrah with her friend, Donna Santisi of Canfield. Both were frequent customers at the classy/casual restaurant that made them feel right at home with its ambience and the kindness of the cook and his workers.

“We were very upset it was closing,” Greaves said. “You couldn’t find a better place to be. I am so sad tonight.”

“It’s just so sad that it’s the last day,” Santisi added.

Guarnieri announced two weeks ago that he had to close the restaurant because it wasn’t busy enough to stay open.

“We knew things were getting bad,” Guarnieri said. “We would catch up and then it got worse.”

Now, Guarnieri feels as if he has let Youngstown down by shutting the doors of The Fifth Floor, but he knows he had no choice.

Read more about his plan and the closing in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.