GRAND BLANC, Mich. (WNEM) – On a Friday night at Da Edoardo North, the sounds are familiar, silverware clinks, wine glasses toast, and laughter flows from tables where families have gathered for years. For the past 25 years, the family-owned restaurant has been more than a place to eat. It’s been where love stories started, milestones were celebrated, and tradition was served nightly.
Next month, that chapter will come to a close.
“Scott, my husband proposed to me here 24 years ago,” Alyssa France said. “When we saw the news, we knew we had to come back one last time. This place is part of our story.”
Dan Potter has been coming since day one.
“I was here on the very first day they opened,” Potter said. “We got married here. We rented the entire place and had our wedding. We got married right in front of those windows. Twenty years ago, this October.”
At the heart of Da Edoardo North is owner Eddie Barbieri, whose family brought their Italian roots to the Grand Blanc community in 2000. Closing, he said, isn’t easy, but it’s time.
“My grandpa always said, ‘Got to make the food, good. It’s always got to be good. It’s got to be authentic,” Barbieri said. “That’s what we’ve always tried to do.”
Out of thousands of meals and moments shared, one memory stands out for him.
“We had a benefit for my dad, five years ago,” Barbieri said. “He had a double lung transplant, and he’s passed away now. But he was sitting here, and he called me over. It was the last time I cooked for him. He said, you got it son. This food is excellent.”
For the staff, the goodbye feels just as personal.
“We’ll still keep in touch,” Tarra Clark said, a manager at the restaurant. “I’ll still visit the other restaurants and they’re always going to be a part of my family here.”
Da Edoardo North will serve its final meal June 13. Until then, every reservation feels like a farewell, a final toast to food, family and tradition.
“It’s been a great ride,” Barbieri said. “I’m very happy with what we accomplished. But it’s time to move on. It’s time to move on.”
When the lights go out and the last plate is cleared, Grand Blanc won’t just be losing a restaurant, it’ll be saying goodbye to a piece of its soul.
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