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(Editor’s note: Taylor Anthony has been assigned by WKBW to cover Niagara Falls and is doing a great job. Here’s a story she did this week on the expansion of the Marketside Restaurant. If you have Niagara County story ideas for her, you can email her at Taylor.anthony@wkbw.com)
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — On Pine Avenue in Niagara Falls, a beloved family-run diner is making room for more memories.
Marketside Restaurant is expanding into the vacant building next door, formerly Goodfella’s Pizzeria, to add an 800-square-foot dining room and a 2,000-square-foot outdoor patio. The upgrade will double the restaurant’s seating capacity to 140 and eventually introduce dinner service.
"Now there's big groups of families that are coming here from out of town and from all over the world," said owner Tony Poletti. "We'll have a nice big room where we can have a family of 20 people sit together. So I'm excited about that."
The project has been more than a decade in the making. Poletti first purchased the neighboring property in 2011, and now, with the help of a Niagara Falls Small Business Improvement Program grant, the expansion will begin.
More than a business move, Poletti sees the expansion as an act of faith in Pine Avenue’s potential.
“It’s the last business district in Niagara Falls Main Street,” said Mike Poletti, Tony’s father and the restaurant's previous owner. “Downtown may get the tourism, but Pine Avenue is where the locals are.”
Tony, who is also part of the Pine Avenue Redevelopment Project, said his goal is to beautify the corridor and spread awareness about the grants available to other local businesses. He hopes this project sparks wider reinvestment.
That hope comes at a critical time. Several longtime Pine Avenue staples have recently changed hands or closed. The Como Restaurant saw a change in ownership earlier this year, while La Hacienda and Goodfella’s are both listed for sale.
Just this past weekend, the community was shaken by a devastating fire at Michael’s Italian Restaurant, a fixture for more than 60 years.
“We’re losing businesses, but we’re not building anything new,” said longtime customer Tom Reilly. “That's part of the downfall of the city."
With construction expected to begin this fall, the Marketside expansion is one of the first signs that things may be changing.
"It's nice to have places for people to have family parties, and it's important for the tourists who come and they're looking for something to do, and we're trying to make a place for them great."
