NEW BUSINESS: PAGLIAI'S NEW OWNERS

Pagliai's Pizza And Pasta, 1129 Broadway, is under new ownership.

The business has been purchased by Ron and Vivian Bohnert, from Mark and Judy Watson, who have operated the restaurant for 25 years.

Watson, a native Iowan, became acquainted with the Pagliai family when he was a high school student. Watson, who worked for a Pagliai Pizza restaurant in Iowa City as a high school and college student, and his wife, Judy Watson, purchased Pagliai in 1973.

Bohnert worked at Pagliai's while he was in high school.

"I was one of the first three employees there," said Bohnert. "That was before Mark purchased the business. And, my family has been regular customers at the restaurant."

Pagliai's opened in Cape Girardeau in 1968. Five years later Sam Pagliai decided to sell some of the restaurants, including to the Watsons.

Bohnert's son, Eric Bergmann, has been a manager at Pagliai's the past five years, and will continued to manage the restaurant.

Bohnert, who works with Keebler Co., and his wife, Vivian, a nurse at Southeast Missouri Hospital, will help at the restaurant.

"We'll be redecorating within the next couple of months," said Bohnert.

The restaurant will remain open from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily except Friday and Saturday, when it will remain open until 11 p.m.

The Pagliai family at one time operated some 18 pizza restaurants, including ones at Cape Girardeau, Carbondale, Ill., and Murray, Ky.

"I was familiar with pizza operations and decided to look at the Cape Girardeau business," said Watson. "We liked what we saw; we liked the weather and we liked the people."