Ledo Restaurant to Open in Mid-August

Ledo Restaurant, a mainstay and legend in Adelphi since 1955, will soon open its doors to customers at its new location on Knox Road in College Park. A press release initially stated that the restaurant would open the week of Aug. 9, but the owners have since pushed back the date until some time in the third week of August. 
 
The popular restaurant, which started the Ledo Pizza chain, was originally opened by Tommy Marcos Sr. The restaurant is now managed by Marcos' sons, Tommy Jr. and Jimmy.

"My brother and I grew up in it," Jimmy Marcos said. "It was an awesome situation to be in. People loved it."
 
Ledo has been attracting University of Maryland students for most of its more than 50 years. In fact, it is so famous that the restaurant attracted pro sports stars such as Johnny Unitas, former quarterback of the Baltimore Colts; Bill Skowron, former first baseman for the New York Yankees; Joe Namath, the Super Bowl-winning former quarterback with the New York Jets; and Bobby Ross, a former head football coach at the University of Maryland. The restaurant was even featured on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" in 2006.
 
Besides its pizza, Ledo is also well known for its sandwiches and specials, including homemade lasagna, Chicken Oscar and stuffed shrimp.

"We hope to expand our offerings on the specials side," Jimmy Marcos said, adding that the new chef, Nicholas Alexander, will keep the staples of the Adelphi restaurant's menu and offer more daily specials to keep things fresh.
 
The move was a "business decision. Some businesses have to reinvent themselves and we wanted to attract a newer clientele," he said.
 
The move to College Park has been in the works for some time. The Marcos family met with the city's mayor concerning a possible move more than a year ago.

"We developed a great relationship with the mayor, and a retail space became available," Marcos said.
 
The restaurant is located at 4509 Knox Road on the ground floor of a parking garage. No doubt its closer proximity to the university will attract many more students than the Adelphi site did.
 
New promotions are planned, and the restaurant is considering offering specials to students.

"There will be a happy hour and we will sell slices of pizza. Students are on a tight budget," he said.