A staple restaurant of downtown Gainesville is changing ownership.
Juan Luna, owner of Luna's Restaurant, said Tuesday that he has sold the business to Darryl Bucher. Luna, who recently turned 67 years old, said the move represents a retirement for him after 27 years of running the restaurant.
"It's been a lot of fun," Luna said. "No dull moments."
Bucher said it was a unique opportunity for him to purchase what he called an "iconic" restaurant in the area. He said he plans to run the business with his sons.
"It was the opportunity, the location and the community, I'm very excited about Gainesville and its future," Bucher said. "Juan's been here 27 years and he's built a great, happy, friendly business and obviously those don't turn over very often."
Tuesday marked the last day for Juan Luna operating the business. Bucher said he doesn't plan to change much about the restaurant.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," Bucher said. "We're not changing the name...why argue with something that's a great thing? The humblest way I could put it is that we're going to, over time, work to enhance it."
Luna's has operated on the ground floor of the Hunt Tower on Maple Street in downtown Gainesville since 1997.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2024/2/1228116/lunas-restaurant-in-downtown-gainesville-changing-owners