SWAMPSCOTT — Tony Lena’s is looking to celebrate 80 years of a successful family business by showing gratitude toward its longtime network of clientele, hosting an “appreciation week” for customers that starts Monday.
Lena’s, the original name of the business, was founded back in 1945 by Sam Lena. In 1973, his son, Tony, took over the business and changed the name to Tony Lena’s. Now, a third generation of the family — sisters Tammy Lena Chambers and Jennifer Lena Venuti — have been running it for 35 years.
All week long, customers get the chance to win T-shirts with the business logo and name on it, as well as gift cards and a variety of tasty treats. It’s a way of Tony Lena’s to say “thank you” for the decades of warmth it’s received from the community.
“We’re not only celebrating our 80th anniversary, but we’re also appreciating our customers and the loyalty they’ve shown us,” Venuti said. “Also, we wanted to show appreciation for our employees.”
The business also utilizes punch cards for customers so that every time they make a purchase, they get closer to earning a free pizza or sub. The idea is that Chambers or Venuti would pick randomly from the gathered cards to select the lucky winner, which would run on a weekly basis until the end of the year.
Chambers and Venuti expressed that the support they’ve been shown from people all this time means a great deal to them. It’s a support that goes back and forth from both sides, Chambers noted.
“I think a lot of people know us because we grew up here in Swampscott, and we both have kids who grew up here in town as well… We know the community very well,” Chambers said. “People recognize us (outside of the business) because they come to the store so many times.”
They explained that the relationship between the store and its clientele results in many frequent faces returning over time, with clients knowing the staff and the staff knowing every element of the client’s order before they even request it.
“We try to do whatever we can for the community,” Venuti said. “We try to do something for everybody.”
She added that the most important aspect they want to emphasize is that the pair appreciates both the business and loyalty of their customer base.
Chambers noted that even customers who have moved away as far as Florida still seek out the business whenever they’re back in town to bring some sandwiches home with them.
“If they leave and move to Florida, they’ll come back and visit (and) take their sandwiches back with them on the plane ride home,” Chambers said.
Venuti said, “It’s not easy to own a small business. It’s not like those big businesses and corporations. We just have ourselves and our employees… Our employees are very loyal, too; those who have been with us have been with us for years. A lot of times, if you look at any big business, they’ll have an open-door policy where everyone’s replaceable. ”
She added that the family tradition of helping out in the kitchen continues to this day, with their kids also stepping up to assist the operations.
