Status: CLOSED (January 2020)
Peppino’s Ristorante Italiano in Oviedo has gotten complicated with all the Restaurant Impossible closure stories flying around. As someone who’s tracked these family restaurant rescues for years, I learned everything there is to know about this 30-year institution’s final chapter. Today, I will share it all with you.
And look, I’ll be honest – this one stings a little. Thirty-two years is an incredible run for any restaurant, but watching a family business end is never easy, even from a distance.
Three Decades in Oviedo, Florida
Peppino’s opened in 1988 when Michael Liguori spotted Oviedo’s potential before most people had even heard of the place. The Italian restaurant became a genuine community fixture – one of those spots where people celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, and just regular Tuesday nights for over three decades.
Michael sold the business to his brother-in-law in 1992, and the family kept it going. Eventually, owners Susan and Luigi had their hopes set on their son Nato taking over. The classic family succession plan. I’ve seen this story play out dozens of times with these restaurant rescues, and it rarely goes smoothly.
The Episode (Season 13, Episode 4)
Title: “Ambush: In Robert We Trust”
Air Date: March 30, 2016
Location: 100 Carrigan Ave, Oviedo, FL
Probably should have led with this section, honestly. An employee called in the rescue, which tells you something right there – the staff could see problems the family couldn’t (or wouldn’t) admit to. Robert Irvine showed up and found parents who couldn’t bring themselves to trust their own son with the family business. And honestly? I kind of understood why. Nato’s work ethic and attitude made handing over the keys feel like a terrible idea.
Robert had two days and $10,000 to work with. He needed to update a decades-old menu, fix the service, refresh the decor, and somehow figure out if Nato was even capable of stepping up. That’s a lot to sort out in 48 hours.
The After-Show Period
Reviews after Restaurant Impossible were genuinely positive. Customers noticed the difference and appreciated the refreshed restaurant and improved operations. For a while, it really looked like the intervention had worked.
But here’s the thing I’ve learned from tracking hundreds of these places: positive reviews don’t always translate to long-term survival. A good Yelp page doesn’t pay the rent when business slows down.
How It Ended
In January 2020 – about four years after the episode aired – Peppino’s closed its doors for good. Business had been slowing, and after 30-plus years, the restaurant couldn’t adapt to how much Oviedo’s market had changed. The area grew, new competition moved in, and the old formula just wasn’t enough anymore.
What happened next really drives the point home: the building got demolished. Choices Women’s Clinic built a brand new $1 million, 4,000-square-foot facility on the property they bought for $800,000. There’s literally nothing left of Peppino’s to visit. It’s just gone.
Thirty-Two Years Is Nothing to Apologize For
That’s what makes Peppino’s endearing to us Restaurant Impossible fans. Sure, it closed. But thirty-two years? That’s an extraordinary run. Most restaurants don’t make it past five. Restaurant Impossible gave them four more years on top of an already impressive legacy, and that counts for something.
Former Location
Address: 100 Carrigan Ave, Oviedo, FL
Established: 1988
Closed: January 2020 (after 32 years)
Building: Demolished, now Choices Women’s Clinic
Cuisine: Italian
I’ll raise a glass of cheap Chianti to Peppino’s tonight. Thirty-two years of feeding a community is a legacy worth remembering, even if the building isn’t there anymore.
Last verified: January 2026
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