With delightfully old-school Italian hospitality, Supermaxi feels like a restaurant from another time. And that’s what’s helped it become part of the furniture on St Georges Road in Fitzroy North.

But now, after 12 years, the team has announced it’s closing at the end of the month.

“[The decision] wasn’t made on a whim, but it was quick,” chef Rita Macali (one of Ladro’s original owners) tells Broadsheet. She owns the diner with her partner Giovanni Patane, a larger-than-life front-of-house presence in the regularly heaving dining room.

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Macali and Patane told their staff on Friday, but breaking the news to the regulars in the days since has been an emotional roller-coaster. “There have been tears, shock, they can’t believe it,” says Macali. “The social aspect of owning a restaurant, those relationships, especially for Giovanni, is massive.” It’s what the pair will miss most.

A combination of factors led to the decision, Macali says. “We weren’t forced; it was a bit of Covid, a bit of the fact it’s hard to find staff and a bit because we’d also like a break. We’ve been doing this for [nearly] 13 years.”

And while Macali praises her team’s contribution, staffing issues have been a constant burden, especially in Covid times. “They’ve all been amazing, but it’s hard to find full-time staff,” she says. “Begging people to do a shift – you can only do that for so long.”

For more than a decade, Macali and Patane have been serving always-on-the-mark pizza – often so large it hangs over the side of the plate – as well as a veal cotoletta my Nonna would’ve approved of, and a fried custard dessert you need to try if you’ve never had it before.

We also recently published Macali’s minestrone recipe – which was passed down from her Nonna – in our cookbook, Home Made. It’s perfect for a rainy, gloomy day like today.

Supermaxi is closing on Saturday July 30.

supermaxi.com.au