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Here's what the industry may have forgotten about Buca di Beppo

Restaurant Rewind: The latest bankruptcy filer started off as a rule-breaker that had the business talking.

If half the people who read about Buca di Beppo’s bankruptcy filing had frequented the concept, the operation might never have hit a financial skid. Despite the brand’s initial market splash 30 years ago, it’s hardly top-of-mind among today’s dining-out public. Few consumers know more about the concept than its odd name.

This week’s episode of Restaurant Rewind aims to raise that level of awareness. It looks back at the concept’s beginnings and early influences, particularly the introduction it provided to family-style Italian dining and the drawing power of kitsch.

There’s also the recollection of the legal problems that literally put its leadership in prison.

Give a listen to earn why the bankruptcy filing held so much significance to those who remembered the brand’s better days.

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