The plan to close Richard’s Restaurant on Getz Road, just off Jefferson Boulevard, had been in the works for months, but the June 29 storm caused a long-term power outage that moved up the date.

“Our lease was expiring there within the next couple months,” says Deeda Yoder, vice president of Richards Restaurants Corporate Headquarters. “It’s the only location we do not own.”

The company decided six or eight months ago that it wouldn’t renew the lease, and after the storm hit, the owners were unsure if some of the equipment would function properly, Yoder says. So they decided to close permanently.

Employees were told July 3 that Richard’s would stay closed, says Penny Hundley, who had been head waitress at the restaurant.

Richard’s, which is owned by Bearcreek Farms in Bryant, had been one of two Fort Wayne locations. There are restaurants in surrounding towns, including Auburn, Decatur and Kendallville.

“We’re a family business. The large city really isn’t the best market for us,” she says, adding that if someone were to make an offer to buy the the Richard’s on Washington Center Road, the company would consider it.

“We’re more than happy functioning at Washington Center Road. It creates some challenges for us. Being an older building, you have to determine how much money you’re going to put in a business if you’re not going to get a return on it.”

Parkview Field cracks vegetarian-friendly list

For the past six years, PETA has been ranking the top 10 vegetarian-friendly ballparks in the major and minor leagues. For the first time, Parkview Field has made the minor-league list, coming in at No. 6.

“When it comes to delicious health, Earth and animal friendly food offered at its concession stands, (Parkview Field is) a major league player all the way,” PETA associate director Chris Holbein said in a written statement.

Items that PETA singled out include Parkview’s black bean burger, veggie burrito and vegetable wraps, along with options such as fresh fruit, hummus and veggies, grilled vegetables and salads.

Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla., tops the minor-league list for the second straight year. PETA puts Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia as most vegetarian-friendly major-league ballpark for the fifth time in six years, in large part due to its barbecue veggie Pit Beef, which is a vegan “chicken-steak.”

Salvatori’s expands to Aboite location

A new Italian restaurant has opened in Aboite Township. Salvatori’s opened its second location Monday at 10337 Illinois Road, said Brittany Turpchinoff, a server at Salvatori’s New Haven location.

The new location is larger than the original restaurant, seating 120 as opposed to 50, owner Sam Leto III previously told The Journal Gazette. The menu, which does not include pizza, features sausage rolls and calzones, as well as a full bar.

“We’ve just over the years got a good reputation for good food and good service and a clean atmosphere,” Leto says. “It’s just time to expand, and the opportunity came up, and I decided to jump on it.”

The new Salvatori’s is in the former Aboite Grill.

Beer, wine tastings

•Belmont Beverage (10311 Illinois Road) will hold a summer beer tasting event from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday.

The third tasting at the Illinois Road location this summer will feature primarily craft beers, marketing manager Candy Baer-Teders says. The broader tastings tend to garner larger crowds, but being as this is the first craft beer tasting Belmont has had since Baer-Teders has been with the company, she is unsure what to expect.

“The larger-scale tastings with beer, wine and liquor do really well,” she says. “The scotch tasting didn’t have a whole lot of people show up because scotch is a very limited crowd. Not as many people are into scotch.”

Thursday’s tasting will feature more than 20 beers from breweries including the Upland Brewing Co. (Rad Red Amber Ale and Bad Elmer’s Porter), Founders Brewing Co. (Cerise, a cheery beer) and Rhinelander (Thumper American IPA).

Belmont’s next event will be a cocktail tasting from 6 to 8 p.m. July 27.

•Lebamoff’s Cap n’ Cork (10020 Lima Road) is holding a wine, liquor and beer tasting from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday. It will feature five liquors (including one vodka and one rum), four beers (including Schlafly Dry Hopped APA) and 11 wines (including two sauvignon blancs and two chardonnays).