Cafe L'Europe Reopens After Refresh and New Ownership

    SARASOTA, FL, August 12, 2016 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Cafe L'Europe, the St. Armands Circle fine dining restaurant established in 1973, has reopened after a decor refresh under the new ownership of Ronald Milton and Joseph Balzano. Milton, co-owner of Scene Magazine, and Balzano, are excited to add their own twists to the restaurant and its menu, while keeping true to many of the traditional elements which have made this iconic restaurant one of the most popular in town.

"Joseph and I are thrilled to be a part of the next chapter of Cafe L'Europe, which has been a local landmark since 1973," said Ron Milton. "We love the history of the restaurant, its charming ambiance and stellar reputation for fine cuisine. We look forward to continuing those traditions and creating new ones in the years to come."

Ownership changed hands on August 1, 2016 when Milton and Balzano officially purchased the restaurant from Betsie Coolidge, former wife of the restaurant's founder, Titus Leschert. Cafe L'Europe was closed for five days to make several changes to its decor and ambiance, and improve efficiencies including service training. The restaurant reopened to a packed house as patrons were greeted personally by the new owners, enjoyed dinner and piano entertainment. Piano music will now become a part of the daily restaurant entertainment. The restaurant will also be offering Happy Hour daily from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

Milton plans to be actively involved in its daily operations and hopes to expand the private dining events both in-house and off-premise. His wife Julie Milton, Scene Magazine's co-owner and publisher, will continue to manage the daily operations of the magazine, which celebrates its 60th year of print in 2017, and will relocate its offices to St. Armands Circle by the end of August.

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