Submitted
Editor’s note: The following information was released from Donatello’s owners Pat and Beth Aasen on Monday, March 29.
Donatello’s owners Pat and Beth Aasen plan to retire from restaurant ownership, and Donatello’s last day of operations will be on Saturday, April 3.
We’re all so proud that we worked hard to survive a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, but now Pat and Beth look forward to traveling and spending time with their children and grandchildren, some of which live out of state.
We have so many fond memories from our more than 10 years in business in Carmel. We’ve seen customers go from shy elementary school kids to graduating high school seniors off to college. We’ve been invited to weddings of former employees we hired when they were in high school. We’ve had two employees meet at Donatello’s and get married to one another. We’ve seen customers go on their first date at Donatello’s and then later pop the big question at our place. We’ve had customers who have lost a loved one and would come back to our restaurant and order their loved one’s favorite meal in order to bring back those memories. We’ve been there for weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, celebrations and more. It’s humbling to be a small part of all of these memories for people.
We believe we’ve made an impact in the community. We’ve raised thousands of dollars for local charities and donated thousands of meals to good causes. We collect hundreds of toys every year for children in the foster care system.
We’re proud of what we’ve done and it might seem like strange timing to close up shop now that people are getting vaccinated and weather is getting warmer, but it’s about more than that. The last year has been tiring physically and mentally and all of us are looking forward to time to recharge.
If this past year has taught us anything, it’s that life is too short.
Pat and Beth have been in the restaurant industry for 40 years (23 of which as owners). They are ready for their next adventures.
Their son Adam Aasen currently serves on the Carmel City Council, does some freelance marketing work and has a two-year-old daughter. He will have plenty to keep him busy.
If you’d like to share some fond memories of Donatello’s, you can email them to donatellositalian@gmail.com. Adam is available by email at adamaasen@gmail.com.
Please come see us before we close for good on Saturday, April 3. Please call us at 317-564-4790 to make a reservation, and don’t wait until the last day because it might get busy. We will miss you all and thank you for your support for this past decade. I’m sure we will see you around town.