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After more than 45 years as a staple of central Omaha dining, Amato’s Cafe & Catering announced Monday that it plans to close.

The restaurant’s last day will be June 23.

Owner Ann Amato, who ran the business with her late husband, Sam — and more recently with her son Tony — plans to retire.

“This has been a labor of love,” Ann Amato said. “Our customers have grown to be like family.”

Ann Amato said her four children plan to come home to greet customers on the final weekend.

“They have all grown up there and worked there,” she said. “It’s important they are also there to thank the patrons for all their support all these years.”

The restaurant is well known for its oversized pancakes studded with big hunks of ricotta cheese, its homemade Italian sausage with roasted red peppers and a devoted neighborhood crowd. For those reasons, plus its memorable atmosphere, the restaurant appeared more than once on popular food television shows.