BUFFALO, NY. (THECOUNT) — Ivano Toscani, the owner and general manager of The Anchor Bar, has passed away Tuesday following a prolonged illness. He was 68.
Anchor Bar staff and management made the announcement Tuesday evening, saying Toscani passed away earlier that day.
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Toscani moved from Italy to Western New York in 1973, and began franchising Anchor Bar Restaurants in 2009.
“Those of us who were fortunate enough to know and work with Ivano have lost a dear friend and colleague, whose spirit will forever be ingrained as part of Anchor Bar’s history,” said Mark Dempsey, V.P. of the Anchor Bar Franchise & Development Company. “Ivano’s leadership and guidance at the Anchor Bar cultivated a Buffalo staple into a world-famous food brand, sought by tourists and locals alike for the past several decades. We were blessed to have him as part of the Anchor Bar family and will dearly miss him.” source
The franchise describes the establishment as the “Famed birthplace of the Buffalo chicken wing, also offering Italian fare, draft beers & live jazz.”