It has been a staple in Manatee County feeding families and those visiting across the area for nearly five decades.

But, on the evening of Saturday, April 16, the popular Bradenton restaurant, Demetrios' Pizza House is closing its doors in a special way.

Demetrios' will serve up its last slice of pizza in an auction with the money going to charity.

In its last week of operation, the owners have been sharing the memories they'll leave behind.

"We met so many beautiful people. They come here for birthdays, holidays, and rehearsal dinners, we have been through so much together through these past years. That's why we call it Pizza House because here everybody has a home. They come, they meet their friends, they meet their families, it's very heartwarming," said Paula Ludera, co-owner of Demetrios' Pizza House.

When a young Ludera teamed up with her sister, Helen, and her husband, Demetrios, to move to Bradenton to set up the family business things were very different.

"46 years in one spot, Bradenton was a very small city back then. Back then on Cortez Road between two to four, you could sleep on there because cars didn't go by," Ludera said.

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