Verona's MOM Restaurant Closes After 40 Years

Jeff Green | Mar 17, 2021

“It’s the right time,” said Gus Doulas of the family decision to sell MOM restaurant.

Gus Doulas was tired on Monday morning.

The last three weeks have been a blur. Ever since announcing that MOM restaurant is up for sale, and will be closing in its current form on March 14th, they have been crazy busy. So much so, that they had to close early several times over that stretch because they ran out of food, even though they have been upping the prep each day.

“It’s been exhausting. I have to acknowledge that, but extremely gratifying as well, that people have made a point to say goodbye by coming in for a meal or ordering take-out.

Gus was 10 years old, when his parents started up MOM restaurant in Verona. The acronym MOM stands for Mother’s own Method, and Gus’s father Peter Doulas had been in the restaurant business for over 10 years in Napanee and Picton before deciding to start up MOM restaurant in Verona.

“He thought Verona was a place that could use a good family restaurant, and he was right,” said Gus.

With his younger brothers, Gus grew up working in the restaurant after school and on weekends. The family moved from Verona to Kingston in the 1980’s, but they all have worked off and on in the restaurant over the years.

As Verona grew, so did MOM restaurant.

“We have always tried to help out the community, as much as we could,” said Gus.

That involved providing space in the restaurant for meetings, donating to community efforts of all kinds, and supporting church and sports groups, as well as community groups such as the Verona Community Association (VCA), over the years.

In the meantime, they were open year round serving Canadian and Italian food to generations of Verona residents, summer cottagers, and visitors alike.

“Pizza has always been popular, and we make our own gravies and sauces, so that has always been something people are looking for,” said Gus.

The closing of MOM restaurant has been coming for a while.

Gus said that the Doulas family were in talks about a sale before the onset of COVID-19, and everything went on hold when the pandemic hit. They are currently in negotiations with more than one potential buyer.

“The outlook for a lot of small businesses hasn’t been good for the last year. But we’ve done very well, considering everything. The community continued to support us through both lockdowns. It helped that we always have done a good takeout business. It has been a two-way street. People wanted our food so we remained open all the way through, and when we could re-open for people to eat here, we did that.”

Gus stressed that the decision to put the business up for sale had nothing to do with the pandemic.

“It was a family decision to close. We have put in our time. It is time for new ownership to come in and continue the business. I’m going to put my feet up and do some long-neglected housework for the next year, before pursuing new opportunities. My brothers also have other business opportunities,” he said.

The Doulas will take some time to clean up and clear out all of their own stuff, which has accumulated over 40 years.

Mainly, however, the Doulas' want to thank their customers for their support over 40 years, and for the overwhelming support over the last two weeks.

“It has been overwhelming,” he said.

When MOM closed, the following statement from the Doulas family was posted on the restaurant Facebook page, summing up their feelings, before thanking their long-time staff and those who helped out over the last two hectic weeks

“Well the day has come to an end here at MOM restaurant. It was a day filled with laughter, joy, and some tears. We can’t thank everyone enough for the support that we have been shown for the past 2 weeks since we announced we will be closing. We took lots of pictures, shared lots of memories, stories and laughs."