WORCESTER—A popular Canal District restaurant has been under new ownership for the past three months.
Ed Russo sold Lock 50 on Oct. 1, according to a post he made on Russo Italian Restaurant’s Facebook page on Jan. 3.
Russo opened Lock 50 at 50 Water St. in 2015 with his nephew Tim Russo in the role as executive chef.
The two went on to open Russo Italian Restaurant at 65 Water St. in 2019, Worcester Magazine reported.
At the time, the magazine reported a number of people told Russo opening a restaurant in close proximity to Lock 50 was unwise, but he told the outlet he disagreed.
“We’re going after a different demographic,” he told Worcester Magazine. “You can’t undervalue the efficiencies that we will gain by being right here across the street with management infrastructure already in place.”
In his Facebook post, Russo said he sold Lock 50 after eight “successful and wonderful years.”
Russo did not give a reason for the sale nor name the new owners in the post.
Lock 50’s website still lists Ed Russo as the owner in its “About Us” section and its latest Facebook post is from September 2023.
“The great memories with my loyal customers and fantastic employees will always remain near and dear to me,” Russo wrote in the Russo Italian Restaurant Facebook post.
Russo said he’s proud of the firsts Lock 50 brought to Worcester, including outdoor igloo dining during the winter and a Chef’s Tasting Menu, and of winning the Worcester Chamber of Commerce Silver Hammer Award which honors businesses that have brought new life to historic buildings in the city.
“We were also honored to have hosted dozens of weddings, hundreds of anniversaries, and many, many, many first dates,” Russo wrote. “We’ve celebrated Christmas and New Years, and our “award winning” patio was home to wine tastings and dinners, music and other great public and private events, and we were always proud to be part of the revitalization of the Worcester Canal District.
Russo ended the post by saying he is excited to see what the new owners have planned.
Lock 50 has continued operations since the sale.
The Worcester Guardian has reached out to both Lock 50 and Ed Russo.
Kiernan Dunlop is an award-winning journalist who has spent the past five years reporting in Worcester, New Bedford, and Antigua and Barbuda. Her work has been published in Bloomberg, USA Today, Canary Media, MassLive, and the New Bedford Standard Times, among other outlets. She can be contacted at kdunlop@theworcesterguardian.org
