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COMMENTARY
I've worked downtown for most of my 38-year career. There have been a lot of changes in that time, but one constant has been the Milano Inn. The number of business-related meals I've had there are too numerous to count.
So, when I got IBJ reporter Scott Olson's breaking-news email announcing the closing of the restaurant at the end of the year, I paused and took some time to reflect. I wondered, how could this be? I knew for a fact that business has remained strong there for many years. But as I read the article, I began to understand. The two entrepreneurial women who run it deserve a break.
Sisters Tina and Gina LaGrotte are ready to move on. Tina is newly married and about to become a grandmother. And Gina said she might pursue something involving her passion for animals and children. They've been involved with the restaurant since their father, Leo LaGrotte, bought the business in 1980. That's 36 years. And since their father's death in 2007, the LaGrotte sisters have taken the helm and have operated the business. That's a lot of...