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Lennie's passes ownership to former employees

By Ethan Sandweiss

Posted July 12, 2023

mike fox samantha ezzo

Founders Lennie Busch and Jeff Mease sold the establishment to long-time employees Michael Fox and Samantha Ezzo earlier this month. (Courtesy of Michael Fox)

This story has been updated with comment from Michael Fox.

The Bloomington tavern Lennie’s is changing hands after 34 years.

Founders Lennie Busch and Jeff Mease sold the establishment to long-time employees Michael Fox and Samantha Ezzo earlier this month.

"We bought Lennie's because we love Lennie's," Fox said. "So we don't intend on making any immediate changes."

Busch, the namesake of Lennie’s, said managing their other businesses has made it hard to give the tavern the attention she thinks it deserves. She’s glad to hand it off to close friends and coworkers.

“We weren't really particularly looking, but somehow the conversation started,” she said. “It was like, wow, I couldn't have planned this any better.”

Lennie's moved to its current location on Kirkwood in 2019. (WFIU-WTIU)

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Busch said she will continue to be involved with the restaurant and assist the new owners with bookkeeping.

Fox and Ezzo met at Lennie’s when they began working there in 2002. The two have been partners ever since.

Fox continued working at Lennie’s, leaving in 2017 as general manager. Ezzo helped Mease and Busch start One World Catering from the Lennie’s kitchen in 2008.

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Busch hopes the couple will bring new ideas to the restaurant while preserving its character.

“They love this industry. There is new and different stuff happening all the time,” she said. “I'm not saying we're going to throw the baby out with the bacon turkey melt.”

"New ownership is a little scary for people, for customers that have been coming here for years," Fox said. "That's a near-term challenge that we're looking at, and we just want to assure people that we don't intend on making any major changes."

Lennie’s was part of One World Enterprises, a collection of local food businesses owned by Busch and Mease that includes Pizza X, Hive and Woolery Mill. Bloomington Brewing Company, also founded by Mease, was sold in 2022.

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