Article by Freelancer Ava Castelli
The Original Ledo Restaurant first established in College Park in 1955 was shut down during the pandemic, only to reopen by new owners in mid-September this year, and has since become a popular place to eat and drink again.
Chesapeake Hospitality, a hotel management group based in Greenbelt that now owns Ledo Pizza, made many key changes to the restaurant. One change was adding a new bar in the main area of the restaurant, according to Ledo Pizza bartender and senior University of Maryland student Katie May.
Unlike other restaurants in College Park that were open during the start of the pandemic, Ledo Pizza was being renovated during the brunt of it and reopened just in time for students to return to campus and in-person classes.
Blake Von Hein, a senior government major, has been going to Ledo since before the renovation with his friends.
“It was cool to see they added more to the restaurant during the renovations. I really like going there to grab food with my friends after classes especially since I remember what it looked like before the changes were made and I went there freshman year,” Von Hein said.
Caitlyn McClure, a senior history major who has been working at Ledo Pizza since the beginning of September, believes Ledo Pizza hasn’t been largely impacted by COVID-19 other than supply chain management and the occasional staff missing shifts.
“The only issue that sometimes arises is when staff are exposed and management has to scramble to get their shifts covered. We certainly are dealing with the supply chain issues that are affecting so many businesses, but otherwise it hasn’t affected much,” McClure said.
May, a bioengineering major who has been bartending at Ledo Pizza since August, has seen a variety of customers ranging from students to Prince George’s County locals. May has worked many day and night shifts giving her the opportunity to see the popularity of the restaurant increase.
“People just like Ledo vibes because the food is good aside from the pizza too, they have other food, you can get drinks and you can watch TV,” May said.
The number of Ledo Pizza customers increases during game days and when popular sports games are being played on television. This also includes the weekends and after 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday when the bar in the back of the restaurant opens just in time for people to come by to grab a drink or bite to eat after going out.
“There’s really no place like Ledo,” said May.