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WILKES-BARRE &mdash; Brenda Sokolowski said the late Phil Rudy taught her a lot about how to run a business.
				And now, Sokolowski and her husband, Walter, own the business &mdash; Circles on the Square.
				Sokolowski, who has worked at the popular downtown eatery for 14 and a half years, said she and Walter closed on the transaction on New Year&rsquo;s Eve.
				&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been here for 14-plus years and I love it,&rdquo; Sokolowski said. &ldquo;Phil taught me a lot and we don&rsquo;t plan to change anything. Circles has always had a great reputation &mdash; it works and we will continue to offer the same quality food. We want to keep Circles going in Phil&rsquo;s honor.&rdquo;
				Sokolowski said the familiar sandwich board, each numbered and named, will remain intact. She said the Daily Specials will continue with specials listed with names, some new, many coined by Phil Rudy, who died in March 2017.
				Sokolowski said Mom&rsquo;s Meatloaf specials will continue, as will other specials like meatballs, and during Lent, tuna noodle casserole on Wednesdays and fish on Fridays.
				And if customers are looking for more than a sandwich, soup or salad, Sokolowski said she will still offer the funny magnets, mugs and greeting cards, along with books, hats and tee shirts advertising Wilkes-Barre, as well as plaster busts of Beethoven, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Abe Lincoln and more.
				Circles opened its doors in 1985 and Monday marked the 36th anniversary of the business.
				&ldquo;We will continue to serve our customers,&rdquo; Sokolowski said. &ldquo;We want to stay here for another 36 years.&rdquo;
				The daily specials menu of punningly named specials &mdash; an innovation that started with Phil Rudy &mdash; would bring chuckles with names like Isaac&rsquo;s Long Lunch, Wilkes-Barre&rsquo;s Wurst, The Kirby Wallbanger, The Market St. Bridge, Meatless in St. Louis, Peggy&rsquo;s Pepper Upper, Someday Independent and Brian&rsquo;s Say Shickshinny.
				Rudy once said he got the names for his sandwiches from the &ldquo;Big Book of Sandwiches,&rdquo; which actually is the Random House Dictionary of the English Language.
				After Phil died in March 2017 at age 68, his tribute menu led off with Le Grande Fromage &mdash; French for &ldquo;the big cheese,&rdquo; as his staff called him.
				Phil&rsquo;s late wife Debi was known as The Boss Lady, as the staff &mdash; and Phil &mdash; called her.
				After Phil&rsquo;s passing, Debi began running Circles, but leaving the food preparations and menu selections to Sokolowski and a dedicated staff &mdash; Bill Scholl is the longest-serving employee, with more than 21 years to his credit. Other staff members are Flo Bellucci, Mary Lou Yerke, Frank Galoardi and Joan Conklin.

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New owners vow same quality at Circles on the Square