Roma Restaurant opens specialty meat market

Roma Market in Mahtomedi will be returning to its roots this February by replacing one of its dining rooms with a specialty meat market.

The decision was partly spurred by the steep drop in in-person dining during the long months of the coronavirus pandemic. 

“Grocery is something the government’s not going to shut off,” said Roma Manager Brian Pilrain. “It makes more sense long term to have this wing as a grocery store, and we still have the west wing for dining.” 

Pilrain said the east wing of the building has been basically empty for nearly two years. The pandemic followed swiftly on the heels of major reconstruction on County Road 12, which had already caused a serious decline in business. 

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