Fusaro's Restaurant Set To Reopen Under New Management

Fusaro’s, the year-round Italian-American restaurant on Old South Road, is set to reopen later this year under new management.

The Select Board voted unanimously on Monday to transfer Fusaro’s alcohol and entertainment license from Tom Fusaro to Mark Smith, who has worked in the island restaurant industry for more than 16 years. The transfers must still be approved by the Massachusetts Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC).

Smith plans to continue operating under the name Fusaro’s for the next season, but may rebrand later.

“The plan is to run Fusaro’s as-is, under the current name, for the upcoming season,” Smith told the Select Board at Monday's hearing. “Then hopefully close for a little bit after January to make some renovations and move forward as such, and maybe rebrand, but still keep and honor the Fusaro’s tradition of having a local place, keeping things affordable, keeping things more local-orientated.”

Fusaro’s was opened by Tom and Stacy Fusaro in 2011 as a family-friendly, Italian-American restaurant. Fusaro’s had been open year-round for 15 years up until this past December, when it announced, “We will be closing next Saturday, 12/20 and plan on not reopening till next spring!”

The property where Fusaro’s is located at 17 Old South Road was put on the market at $4.25 million in October 2025. It is now under agreement to be sold, according to real estate listings.

Smith said at Monday's public hearing that he plans to continue serving similar food and targeting a similar clientele, and said he will try to keep as many of the restaurant’s current employees on staff as possible.

Smith helps to manage the beverage program at Billie’s Steakhouse, a new high-end surf-and-turf restaurant that opened during the summer of 2025 and is managed by his wife, Anna Worgess-Smith. He previously served as the bar manager at the Sea Grille on Sparks Avenue and at Town and Queequeg’s in downtown Nantucket.

Officially, the alcohol license was transferred directly, while the entertainment license is a new license with the same parameters.

Both Smith and Fusaro declined to comment after Monday's hearing, citing the pending approvals necessary to complete the deal.