BRUNO'S 3.0: ICONIC RESTAURANT STARTS NEXT CHAPTER WITH NEW DIGS, OLD FAVORITES

BY CINDY GERLACH

Every community has its landmarks, those businesses that define them. For West Lafayette, Bruno’s Pizza is one of those institutions. For nearly 70 years, the name Bruno’s has meant pizza, Bruno Dough, beer and Swiss favorites with a local twist.

But it’s more than a restaurant. Bruno’s is a sense of place. Bruno’s is, first and foremost, about family. It’s about community, about nostalgia. And Bruno’s wants everyone to share in that feeling.

The West Lafayette pizza place is an institution. Bruno Itin, Sr. opened the original Bruno’s Swiss Inn in 1955 at the corner of what is now State Street and North River Road. Expansion of that intersection back in the late ’90s forced the demolition of the original building, with a replacement opening across the way at Brown Street and Howard Avenue.

Now, with that space being ceded to plans by an Indianapolis developer, it’s moved on to yet a third iteration of the Swiss-inspired pizza chalet, this time at 2512 Covington St. in West Lafayette, next door to Brokerage Brewery.

And full restaurant operations have been handed down to a new generation of the Itin family, with Bruno Itin, Jr.’s daughters Holly Beattie, Krista Rodriguez and Angela McDonald taking the helm.

For the sisters, who grew up immersed in the atmosphere of Bruno’s, it’s the natural place for them to land. Because for the sisters, Bru- no’s is all about a family legacy.

When Bruno’s closed its doors in February 2024, the sisters really thought that this second closing of the doors might be it.

“There was a real moment in time where it felt like a real possibility that Bruno’s might be done,” Beattie says. “It still gives me chills even thinking about that. Because I remember those feelings and that last day of working and thinking this is the last pizza that we’re going to make.

“Change is hard. Those last weeks at 212 [Brown St.] were really difficult. We knew what was happening and there were tears. You could just feel a sense of sadness. And I think that moving into this transition, there was always this feeling of, how can we ever recreate that? And in some ways, you can’t. There are just some things in life that cannot be recreated. But they can be honored.”

“We never gave up hope, though,” Rodriguez chimes in.

The family was open to a new location. But so many pieces had to fall into place to find something suitable. They were alerted to the possibility on Covington Street, but it took some time for the deal to come together.

“We had been looking for a place,” Beattie recalls. “But the right thing had not come up. And it seemed like every road wasn’t the right road. And the last thing we wanted to do was get into something … you can’t force these things. We closed on a Wednesday, and on Friday got the call.

“The space had possibilities. We could add a pizza kitchen. There were weeks of ‘Can it fit? Can we get our pizza oven in there? Can we make it functional?’ And we did.”

“We wanted to find something that would be a good fit for Bruno’s,” Rodriguez says. “There are certainly a lot of options around town. But we really wanted the neighborhood feel. Something unique, something a little bit different, personal, something that would be easily accessible for the community, with parking.

Proximity to where people live and work. So, we’re really excited about being here.”

It’s been fun, they say, recreating a beloved eatery in a new location. There are, naturally, challenges. They brought over as much from the old place as possible – tables and chairs, light fixtures, memorabilia, stained glass — even the pizza ovens. But as anyone who has ever moved can attest, not everything fit just right, so there have been adjustments.

One of the biggest challenges is the dining room. The former dining room seated 275 people; the current one now seats only about 50. Only a portion of Bruno’s famed sports memorabilia collection is on display.

“The size is the biggest difference,” Beattie says. “A lot of people in the community could come to Bruno’s and there was always a table. There was this welcoming feeling of ‘bring the team, bring the family, there’s room for everyone.’ And we still have that, just on a smaller scale.”

They have worked to come up with creative solutions. The foyer is not large enough to accommodate dozens of people waiting to pick up a pizza. The answer? Send them next door to sit at Brokerage Brewery and have a beer while they wait; a text message lets them know when the pizza is ready. Or they can get their pizza to go and eat it at Brokerage.

“So many people say they can walk up or maybe they live close by and they’ll order a pizza for carry-out and go next door and enjoy a beverage while they wait for it,” Rodriguez says. “It’s been so much fun to see people enjoying themselves.”

It’s been a fun collaboration, they say, establishing a partnership with Brokerage. The two local, family-owned businesses blend well together. And Brokerage has even crafted a Bruno’s Swiss lager.

“It was released on our opening day,” Rodriguez says. “We also serve it on draft. Switzerland is near and dear to our heart and our history. It’s kind of fun to see that merge together.”

And Bruno’s responded in kind, adding a Brokerage pizza to its menu, featuring pulled pork, red onions and a beer cheese drizzle.

“It has gone over really well,” Rodriguez says. “It’s just one other nice way that we complement each other.”

The Itin sisters feel as if they’re home again. With the support of their dad and familiar employees, they can look out at the restaurant on any given night, regular customers at the tables, and feel comfortable with the transition.

“We’ve been so fortunate to have employees return that worked with our grandfather at the original loca- tion,” Rodriguez says. “So, they’ve been with Bruno’s over 40 years. And many others, 20-plus years. It was incredible, on opening night, to look around and see all these employees who’ve been around, who really we grew up with. They’ve been around our whole life. It really does feel like a team.”

Management has passed to the younger group. And they could not be happier — even if working at the family restaurant was not always in their plans.

“When my own children were little, I left and did some different things, but there was always a part of me that had hoped to be in this position someday,” Rodriguez says.

McDonald adds, “I tried to find something else, but I just kept coming back.”

Recreating the magic of Bru- no’s has brought the sisters great satisfaction. Running a restaurant is hard work — that’s undeniable, they say. But the rewards make it worthwhile. Seeing happy families generation upon generation — enjoying themselves in a new place that still feels familiar brings them joy.

“I enjoy what I do and it’s great to be able to do it with family,” Rodriguez says. “And to get back to seeing all our regular customers that we’ve missed while we were closed.”

The feedback from customers has made it clear, too, that this new version of the restaurant is wanted. And they’re pleased to be able to bring it back to life.

“It’s always been such a special place, not just for our family but for our customers and the commu- nity,” Beattie says. “And that’s one of my favorite things, hearing from customers, whether it’s their first date or an anniversary dinner or a birthday celebration, even end-oflife celebrations, that people choose to spend their time at Bruno’s. It just makes it so special.

“It makes it feel like it’s not work. It’s just something we really enjoy.” ★