OVIEDO, Fla. — After being in business for over 30 years, Peppino’s in Oviedo has shut its doors.

Peppino's in Oviedo closes its doors

Restaurant had been open since 1988

Women's clinic plans to build facility on the property

The restaurant officially closed in December.



Michael Liguori opened the restaurant in 1988 because he felt Oviedo was an ideal location for its potential growth.



“Oviedo at the time was growing with not too many places in the area and it was a good opportunity to do well because of the lack of competition,” Liguori said.



The first few years being open were busy, Liguori said.

Closing was not something he ever thought about.



“First few years I always had lines out the door,” Liguori said. “I sold the business to my brother-in-law in 1992 to move on to other projects.”



Liguori now owns Pizzeria Valdiano in Winter Park.

He sold Peppino’s to his brother-in-law to keep it in the family in the early 90’s. But in the last few years, the dough hasn’t exactly been rolling in.



Tennis Young was driving by the restaurant today around lunch time, and mentioned how slow it recently was.



“Five to six cars at lunch when I was here about a month ago,” said Young, an Oviedo resident. “I live real close and then in the evening 8-10 cars might have been here.”



A new business that says its serve 2000 people a year is moving in. The only difference is family style has a different meaning here.



“We offer health care services to women and men in need,” Executive Director of the Choices Women’s Clinic Vicky Mathews said. “Women that may need services like pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, parenting classes, life coaching so they can make decisions for their life.”



In a matter of months, the Peppino’s restaurant will be torn down. Choice’s Women’s Clinic will then build a brand-new 4,000-square-foot facility that will cost about $1 million to build.



That’s in addition to the $800,000 Choices Women’s Clinic paid for the building and property.



“We have a real interest in the students at UCF,” Mathews said. “We want to be a part of the UCF community.”



The new clinic hopes to open in 2021.



All the money being raised to fund the new Choice’s Women’s Clinic comes from 100 percent donations.

The property has been paid for, but the clinic is currently still raising money to fund the new building.