Beloved Noli's Pizzeria is closing after decade-plus in Omaha: 'Recall the good times'

OMAHA, Neb. — Noli's Pizzeria is shuttering its two locations after nearly 12 years in business, the restaurant announced in a social media post Saturday evening

In the post, Noli's said its fans were the reason it survived, and the restaurant pledged to take care of its employees as it closes.

"We're closed, though. Appreciate you. You are the reason we were here for near 12 years. Love you all," the restaurant wrote. The post went on to invite the community to celebrate the restaurant's memory with a New Orleans-style send-off, adding, "Celebrate and remember the heart. That will never leave. Love."

The restaurant also made clear its staff would be a priority. "And we are going to take care of our employees. Never a question on that," the post said.

The closure comes just weeks after a major setback. The location near 40th and Farnam, in Omaha's Blackstone neighborhood, temporarily closed in September after two of its coolers failed within six weeks, and owner Joel Marsh said at the time that he did not have the money to replace them. A GoFundMe campaign raised more than $10,000 following that setback.

Despite that community support, both locations are now closing permanently.

The struggles had been building for years. Marsh has said streetcar construction in the Blackstone neighborhood hurt the business over the past two years, with the location seeing more than $300,000 in lost revenue.

"For nine years, Noli's Blackstone has been a small business my family and I have been incredibly proud of. Over the last two years, streetcar construction has changed everything. Sales have fallen substantially while food, labor, and operating costs have continued to rise, and we have been struggling just to keep our employees paid and the doors open," Marsh said in the GoFundMe.

RELATED: Noli's Pizzeria overwhelmed by community support after social media plea

Through those struggles, the community repeatedly rallied around the restaurant. In January, after Marsh posted on Facebook about the toll of construction and winter weather, neighbors sold out more than $25,000 in gift cards in two days.

"It was overwhelming and a very humbling experience. The community came out and we sold over $25,000 in gift cards in two days, which is, I can't even believe it," Marsh said at the time.

Noli's has long been a fixture in the Blackstone neighborhood. The restaurant donated thousands of dollars in meals to neighbors facing food insecurity, including giveaways during the government shutdown last year.

For Marsh, the restaurant was always more than a business.

"I built all of these, like with my dad, bare hands, all these tables, every surface. At the other restaurant and here, we built. I mean every recipe, everything you see is art to me," Marsh said earlier this year.

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