Thirty-nine years ago, Michael and Bridget Roddy held a contest to name their new Italian restaurant next to Arborland. After developing their chops at Red Bull, Bridget’s father’s sit-down spot on Hogback Rd. (now Yotsuba), the Roddys bought and renovated Matt “Bimbo” Chutich’s Bimbo’s on the Hill across US–23 on Washtenaw.
New CEO Rick Buhr (center) with (from left) grandson Andrew Spicer, daughter Elissa Buhr, and Paesano founders Bridget and Michael Roddy. “We wanted to keep the restaurant the same and not allow it to be bought and changed into something corporate,” Elissa Buhr says. | Photo: J. Adrian Wylie
Their ad in the February 1985 Observer invited suggestions for a name, and the winner, Paesano—its favored translation being “good friends”—came to both describe and explain a continuing loyalty that now ushers the couple toward retirement. In June the Roddys sold Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar to an intergenerational ownership group with longstanding local ties. Full terms were undisclosed, but the real estate went for $3.5 million.
Rick Buhr is the new CEO, with his daughter Elissa Buhr heading marketing and customer relations and Elissa’s son Andrew Spicer as general manager. The elder Buhr has been a mainstay in the local hospitality scene since opening Good Time Charley’s on South U in 1979 (since sold to the Watershed Hospitality Group). Another project, the Sports Bar Westside, at Jackson and Zeeb, is now fully in the hands of son Ben.
“We’re going to keep all the things that make Paesano’s Paesano’s,” says Elissa Buhr. “We wanted to keep the restaurant the same and not allow it to be bought and changed into something corporate.” They’ve retained the staff of eighty-five, and were on-site for months learning the ropes before the handoff was official.
Michael Roddy says the “cards have all fallen in the right direction for us,” and is glad to for the transition to an established presence led by Richard Buhr. “He’s a quality man, and we’re very happy that his family will be continuing on Paesano’s just the way that our family has. That was a deciding factor to actually sell and retire,” Roddy says.
In relating stories of “our gifted life that this little restaurant produced,” Roddy repeatedly turns to collaborations. It’s the “hardworking, invested young kids” they’ve employed along the way. It’s the longstanding customers who helped save St. Patrick’s Day in March 2020, when in-person dining was shut down statewide just as 308 pounds of fresh meat arrived for Paesano’s traditional dinner. After shooting a quick social media video, they sold out the corned beef and cabbage in an hour.
There was also his ailing father’s caretaker, Salvatore Bisaccia, who began teaching Italian classes at Paesano’s. More than 1,500 people have enrolled over the years. One of them was Suzan Alexander, an alumni events planner with U-M, who became instrumental in arranging tours of Italy for the Roddys and their customers.
“What we’ve been given back has exceeded our dreams and our aspirations,” Roddy says.
Paesano’s Wednesday wine dinners and Saturday movies on the patio continue this summer. No major menu changes are planned, Elissa Buhr notes, beyond the customary chef-inspired seasonal updates.
“We’re so honored to have been chosen to take on this legacy and to continue it.” she says, “I’m thrilled that Mike will be working with us on some projects. And it’s really just the ideal marriage of families.”
Paesano Restaurant & Wine Bar, 3411 Washtenaw Ave., (734) 971–0484. Mon.–Fri. 11:30 a.m.–9 p.m., Sat. & Sun. noon–9 p.m. paesanoannarbor.com
