• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • My Account
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
Itemlive

Itemlive

North Shore news powered by The Daily Item

  • News
  • Sports
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Police/Fire
  • Government
  • Obituaries
  • Archives
  • E-Edition
  • Help
This article was published 7 months ago
After 72 years in business, the iconic Continental Restaurant in Saugus will permanently close its doors on Nov. 24. (Spenser Hasak)

The end of an era in Saugus

Elizabeth Della Piana

October 2, 2024 by Elizabeth Della Piana

SAUGUS — After 72 years of business, the Continental Restaurant, an iconic Route 1 figure, will officially close on Nov. 24. The restaurant has been a staple in the community with its monthly events, old-timey feel, and well-known popovers.

Locals have been posting all over Facebook and sharing their favorite photos and memories from the restaurant after hearing the news.

Manager Roger Patient has worked at the restaurant for 40 years — since he was 15 years old — and he talked about how the Continental has struggled for some time.

Roger Patient, who has worked at the Continental Restaurant in Saugus for more than 40 years, sets a table for the next diners.

“The restaurant has been here since 1952, and business over the years has just really slowed down,” Patient said.

He specified that after COVID, the restaurant was never able to make a full comeback.

Patient also mentioned that the Kourkoulis family, who owns the restaurant, has been a great family to work for over the years, and that the staff and owners are sad that the doors are closing.

“It’s sad for us, but it’s also sad for the help that has been here for a long time, and the Kourkoulis family that owns the place also,” he said.

The Kourkoulis family has owned the restaurant for around 41 years, and Shauna Kourkoulis, the wife of owner Paul Kourkoulis, has been involved for 11 years.

The stained-glass logo of The Continental Restaurant in Saugus glows in afternoon light.
Much of the interior remains unchanged since The Continental Restaurant opened in 1952.

“It’s so nostalgic,” she said. “We just haven’t really changed a thing, and everybody knows it.”

She mentioned how the staff has stayed together for years and that the community knows and appreciates the consistency of the restaurant. She also said that there’s been a massive influx of customers after the closing was announced.

“It has been so busy. There’s been a lot of phone calls and a lot of reservations. People are coming in to probably get the last hurrah before the doors close,” she said.

Kourkoulis said that her favorite part about being involved with the restaurant was the regulars who were always there and the staff who had worked there for so long.

The Continental Restaurant co-owner Shauna Kourkoulis, who had to step out of the office on short notice to help with the lunch rush, looks over one of the dining rooms in the restaurant.

The Continental Restaurant will be joining a growing list of prominent businesses that have closed on Route 1. Despite the sad news, the staff remains upbeat about the situation.

“Our story isn’t finished yet,” said Christine Reno, who has been a server off-and-on at the restaurant for the past 30 years.

Much of the interior remains unchanged since The Continental Restaurant opened in 1952.
Roger Patient, who has worked at the Continental Restaurant in Saugus for more than 40 years, takes down information for a reservation. The restaurant has been inundated with reservations since announcing they will close permanently on Nov. 24.
After 72 years in business, the iconic Continental Restaurant in Saugus will permanently close its doors on Nov. 24.
Christine Reno, who has worked at The Continental Restaurant in Saugus off-and-on for the last 30 years, rushes a tray of food out to a waiting table.
People fill the booths of The Continental Restaurant in Saugus after it was announced that the business would close on Nov. 24.
Much of the interior remains unchanged since The Continental Restaurant opened in 1952.
  • Elizabeth Della Piana
    Elizabeth Della Piana

    View all posts

Related posts:

No related posts.

Primary Sidebar

Advertisement

RELATED POSTS:

No related posts.

Sponsored Content

What questions should I ask when choosing a health plan?

Advertisement

Footer

About Us

  • About Us
  • Editorial Practices
  • Advertising and Sponsored Content

Reader Services

  • Subscribe
  • Manage Your Subscription
  • Activate Subscriber Account
  • Submit an Obituary
  • Submit a Classified Ad
  • Daily Item Photo Store
  • Submit A Tip
  • Contact
  • Terms and Conditions

Essex Media Group Publications

  • La Voz
  • Lynnfield Weekly News
  • Marblehead Weekly News
  • Peabody Weekly News
  • 01907 The Magazine
  • 01940 The Magazine
  • 01945 The Magazine
  • North Shore Golf Magazine

© 2025 Essex Media Group