Vince Bruno, who managed the West Little Rock Italian restaurant started by his father in 1948 for more than 20 years, is reportedly working with his brother Gio on plans to open a new Bruno's on Main Street, in the Mann on Main project, a mixed-used redevelopment underway at Fourth and Main. A spokesman for the developer, Moses Tucker, said this morning, "We're in preliminary discussions with Gio and Vince Bruno. Nothing has been finalized, but we are very hopeful something can be worked out."
Arkansas Business reported on Vince Bruno's hope to revive the family enterprise a few months ago, though he didn't have a location nailed down then. Their father, Jimmy Bruno, started the restaurant in Levy in 1948 and moved not long after to Roosevelt Road, where his hand-tossed pizza was cutting edge cuisine for Little Rock back in the day. The business was sold to Scott Wallace, who operated it on Bowman Road for more than 20 years, closing it in 2011. The Bruno family retained rights to their name and recipes. A new Bruno's restaurant reopened in the location, but it is not related to the Bruno family. Bruno's Bistro is operated by Bruno Beqiri.