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<p>EXETER &#8212; On Saturday night, the lights went out for the last time at Villa Foglia Restaurant, marking the end of a 50-year run for the family-owned business.</p><p>To be clear, Bernie Foglia, 76, is semi-retiring after 50 years in business &#8212; starting with Pete&#8217;s Pizza in 1967 and opening Villa Foglia in 1981. He said he will continue, for now, his catering business, taking bookings for weddings, graduations, rehearsals, reunions and funeral brunches.</p><p>Foglia said he had the business up for sale for more than a year, but couldn&#8217;t get the right deal. He and his wife, Karen, plan to visit their two daughters, Maria and Teresa, who live in California.</p><p>&#8220;I&#8217;ve been working since I was 12 years old,&#8221; Foglia said. &#8220;I figured that&#8217;s long enough.&#8221;</p><p>Foglia has had his share of health issues &#8212; a knee replacement (he needs another), two other surgeries, shoulder aches and pains.</p><p>&#8220;The older you get, the harder is is to deal with the pain,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s been a good run.&#8221;</p><p>Foglia said he would humbly say &#8220;thank you&#8221; to all of his customers, who he will miss.</p><p>&#8220;I appreciate all the years we had in business,&#8221; Foglia said. &#8220;I hope to run into my customers from time to time.&#8221;</p><p>Foglia said he did 99 percent of the cooking at the restaurant. It was a lot of work, but he will miss it.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s an old adage that all good things must come to an end,&#8221; he said. &#8220;Actually, all things come to an end, good or bad. Sooner or later, I had to quit. I&#8217;m glad I made it this long. I feel very fortunate, but it just isn&#8217;t as much fun as it used to be.&#8221;</p><p>When Foglia returned from a stint in the U.S. Navy, he was recruited by Pete Bay to operate Pete&#8217;s Pizza, now the location of A&amp;A Auto Stores on Wyoming Avenue in Exeter. Foglia moved the business to the current site of Pizza L&#8217;oven, noting he was untouched by the Agnes Flood of 1972. He opened Villa Foglia at 1133 Wyoming Ave, Exeter, in 1981.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Being in the restaurant business for nearly 50 years, Bernie Foglia met many celebrities. Many stopped at his restaurant, and he catered for many as they performed in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The left photo shows Bernie with singer Al Martino; tenor and actor Sergio Franchi is in the picture at the right. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Villa-Foglia-4.jpg</photo0><caption0>Being in the restaurant business for nearly 50 years, Bernie Foglia met many celebrities. Many stopped at his restaurant, and he catered for many as they performed in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The left photo shows Bernie with singer Al Martino; tenor and actor Sergio Franchi is in the picture at the right. </caption0><photoCredit0>Times Leader File Photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Villa-Foglia-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Bernie Foglia stands in the center of his Villa Foglia dining room in Exeter in this photo from last year. He tried to find a buyer for the eatery, but says he could not find the right deal. Foglia closed the restaurant for good this past weekend. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Villa-Foglia-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Bernie Foglia stands in the center of his Villa Foglia dining room in Exeter in this photo from last year. He tried to find a buyer for the eatery, but says he could not find the right deal. Foglia closed the restaurant for good this past weekend. </caption1><photoCredit1>Times Leader File Photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Photo-1-1-.jpg">
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Exeter’s Villa Foglia closes after long run