A familiar face in the Lehighton restaurant business is coming back.

Nino Caruso, who ran Pizza Como USA, has purchased the former Boulevard Drive-In and Family Restaurant at 59 Blakeslee Blvd. Dr. E. The popular Boulevard shut its doors in early September.

Caruso recently decided to step back after 52 years in the day-to-day operations at Pizza Como USA in the Carbon Plaza Mall in Lehighton.

Pizza Como USA posted word of the purchase Sunday night on Facebook: “We have exciting news to share with you. Our family has purchased the Boulevard Restaurant.”

Pizza Como USA will eventually be moving there. “We will also be opening Nonna’s Ice Cream,” the family said.

Darcy Caruso, Nino’s wife, said Monday that Nino will eventually be running Pizza Como once it relocates to the former Boulevard building.

In January, Nino handed the reins of the business over to his son, Torey Caruso, and nephew, Sergio Caruso.

To commemorate Nino’s years of dedicated service to the business, a gathering was held at the business on New Year’s Eve Day, with several hundred people in attendance.

“It’s going to be a while,” Darcy said. “Our daughters are going to be running the ice cream.”

Darcy explained the plan for the shuttered restaurant moving forward.

“We won’t operate them both at the same time,” she said. “Eventually we’re hoping to move Pizza Como down to the Boulevard.”

There’s still some work that needs to be done before then, Darcy noted.

“We have some remodeling to do, some upgrades, some equipment,” she said.

As far as Nonna’s, Darcy said they hope to keep it traditional to the Harleman family with chicken barbecue, hamburger barbecue, and hot dogs, and are looking into a partnership with Leiby’s.

“We hope to do the Harleman family proud; they’ve served our community for over 50 years,” she said. “We’re just very grateful to them for giving us the opportunity to continue to serve the community broader.”

Darcy shared further plans the family has once it makes the move to the former Boulevard.

“We hope to host events in the backroom to help community needs such as team banquets, rehearsal dinners, birthday parties, baby showers, and to expand on Pizza Como a little more,” she said. “We’re so grateful for all of our community support, and we hope to continue to serve the community for decades to come.”

Darcy added they are hoping to get the ice cream portion up and running sometime in the spring.

Nino Caruso’s father, the late Salvatore Caruso, started the business in 1972.

Salvatore, of Palermo, Italy, died on April 6 of last year. He was 87.

Boulevard closes

The Boulevard, which had been open since the 1950s abruptly shuttered its doors on Sept. 1.

The owners posted on Facebook that, due to COVID and the PennDOT 443 road project, they were no longer to stay open.

Fred and Donna Kemfort had managed the store up until its closure.

The decision caught employees off guard, as several said the following morning outside the business that they were just informed of the closure the night prior.

Customers posted memories and said they will miss the breakfasts, the deviled clams and the burger baskets.

Many current and former employees of the restaurant replied to the post from the Boulevard Drive-In.

The business stayed afloat during the COVID pandemic with takeout and delivered meals to customers nearby.

In the last few years, owners have complained to Lehighton Borough Council about the burden the Route 443 widening project put on business.

Over the years, it was known for its cheesesteaks, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, deviled clams, and of course wide assortment of ice creams and desserts.

The business had previously been operated by William C. “Bill” and Janice Harleman for 43 years.