[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 52 (Wednesday, March 22, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E239-E240]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING JOE BOLOGNA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. ANDY BARR

                              of kentucky

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 22, 2023

  Mr. BARR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the accomplishments of a 
special man, Mr. Joe Bologna. Joe is a resident of Lexington, Kentucky.
  Joe was born in Detroit. He served our nation in the United States 
Air Force. While serving in Vietnam, he learned to cook for thousands. 
Following his discharge, he and his wife Anne moved to Lexington and 
decided to enter the restaurant business. On March 1, 1973, he opened 
Joe Bologna's restaurant near the University of Kentucky's campus. 
Serving authentic Sicilian pizza and his famous breadsticks, the 
restaurant quickly grew in popularity. He moved across the street to a 
larger location in 1989 to accommodate his growing business. Joe 
Bologna's is housed in a historic building erected in 1891, which first 
housed a Presbyterian church and then a Jewish synagogue. The beautiful 
building features stained glass windows and a cathedral ceiling.
  Joe Bologna knows the secret to being successful in the restaurant 
business is hard work and persistence. His business has survived

[[Page E240]]

through fire, recessions, inflation, and the COVID pandemic. At the age 
of 77, Joe is still found at his restaurant cooking, serving, greeting 
customers, and even busing tables.
  Joe Bologna is the picture of the American success story. I 
congratulate him on the 50th anniversary of his restaurant and thank 
him for his service to our country in the Air Force. It is my honor to 
recognize Mr. Joe Bologna and Joe Bologna's restaurant before the 
United States Congress.

                          ____________________