The Olde Heritage Reopens Under New Ownership

In March of this year, the longtime owners of The Olde Heritage Tavern in Lenox announced they'd be selling the popular downtown establishment after 21 years in business.

Tomorrow, Thursday, May 27, The Heritage will reopen under new owner Ryan Salame, a 27-year-old Sandisfield, MA native. The eatery has been closed for a little over a month and staff along with regulars have been looking forward to the reopening.

As promised by the new ownership team, the goal is the keep the fan-favorite eatery exactly the same. In a social media post, the new team stressed the importance of  "preserving the same atmosphere and classic liveliness that is The Heritage."

While ownership might be new, the management team is made up of familiar faces who were longtime employees under the previous owner, John McNinch. We talked with manager Becky Piccolo, who worked under McNinch for 16 years, and she confirmed nothing will change, it will be some beloved spot it has been for years.

"Literally, nothing has changed. The same faces you've come to know and love will be there. The menu is the same, the burgers are still the same from across the street at our local market and of course of famous smoked wings will be there", Piccolo said. "We've missed our customer's faces and were excited to see them soon."

The reason for the closure for the past month or so has simply been due to staffing issues, the manager said. Piccolo echoed the same sentiment we've heard from small business owners across The Berkshires and beyond, saying it's nearly impossible to find employees.

While The Heritage hopes to be able to find enough staff to eventually reopen seven days a week, as of tomorrow new hours will be Wednesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 9 pm.

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On March 11 via a post on social media, McNinch and his family announced the sale of the restaurant and thanked patrons for their years of support.

Salame also recently bought the long-term lease for Firefly Gastropub and Catering Co. from Laura Shack last fall. Firefly, located right around the corner from The Heritage on Church St, has been closed for exactly one year due to the pandemic and hopes to reopen this spring.

Check out some of their delicious selections