Marco Ristorante closes in Warner Robins, expands Macon hours

Restaurateur Nazario Filipponi said he had to make a decision.

This month he chose to concentrate on the Macon location of Marco Ristorante Italiano, at 4581 Forsyth Road for 12 years, and shut down his Warner Robins location at 2707 Watson Blvd., which had been open only 16 months.

“The restaurant in Warner Robins closed because I’m 68 years old, and it’s way too much for me to have two places 30 minutes apart,” Filipponi said. “If I was 20, I would do it (keep both open).”

But there is a trade-off: the longtime Macon location is now open for lunch as well as dinner and will soon open for Sunday brunch.

The original location on Forsyth Road had the same basic décor since its opening. It closed Jan. 5-8 for renovations, according to its Facebook page, which now shows pictures of the updated dining room.

“We thought that it needed a little bit of a lift,” Filipponi said. That included new floors and walls, new art, exposed wine racks and other touches to make an all-new interior, he said.

Marco Ristorante Italiano opens for dinner at 5 p.m. and now is open for lunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m., Filipponi said.

Brunch service on Sundays will probably start in a couple of weeks, he said. Hours are yet to be settled but will probably be from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

The brunch opening will wait for completion of the renovation’s final touches, Filipponi said. All the heavy work is done, and details are being worked on during hours the restaurant is closed, so customers shouldn’t notice anything, he said.

To contact writer Jim Gaines, call 744-4489.

This story was originally published January 16, 2015 at 1:35 PM with the headline "Marco Ristorante closes in Warner Robins, expands Macon hours ."