Owners to close Bella’s Italian Grill, focus on catering

CELINA, Ohio (WDTN) — A longtime restaurant in Mercer County is closing its doors to operate its catering service.

Bella's Italian Grille, 1081 West Bank Road in Celina, will shut down on Nov. 30. In a social media post, Julie and Tony Fleck, owners of Bella's Italian Grille, thanked the community for its support over the years.

"It has been an incredible honor and privilege to serve this community for 26 years. We want to thank each and every guest, family member, employee, vendor, and supporter who have been a part of our journey. Our restaurant was built on love, passion, and a commitment to quality, and we couldn't be prouder of what we've accomplished together! Though this is a difficult decision, it's time for a new chapter, and we're forever grateful for the memories we've created. Bella's means "beautiful" in Italian. We want everyone to feel the beauty in the food, atmosphere, and the people. That theme will continue with Bella's Catering."

Julie and Tony Fleck, owners of Bella's Italian Grille

Starting Dec. 1, the restaurant will turn into the catering service and event rental space. The catering menu will be released in the upcoming future.

Customers who have already booked the restaurant for December and 2025 will have their times remain as scheduled.

While in business, the restaurant donated more than $1 million. It has also created over 220,000 gallons of marinara, 54,000 carrot cake slices and catered to over 5,300 events.

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