A man in the United States decided to mark the last day of his sandwich shop in a unique way: by getting married there and throwing a big party for everyone around. Josh Amidon, owner of Gino's Steak & Onion in Fayetteville, New York, tied the knot with his partner Joe on July 14, 2025. The couple had planned to marry later in the year at their co-owned restaurant only. However, when their lease renewal fell through at the last minute, they decided to say goodbye to the establishment and start their new lives together on the same day. The news has received a lot of attention because their shop went viral in 2023 for its "Malibu Barbie Dream Drizzle" pink-cheesesteak. It was inspired by the 2023 Barbie film, which had become a global sensation at that time.
In a long post on Facebook, Josh announced the closing of Gino's and also invited people to attend his wedding party. Talking about why he had to shut shop, he wrote, "It's not because of the economy, or slow sales, or because people suddenly lost their appetite for cheesesteaks. It comes down to something a lot simpler: our landlord chose not to renew our lease. We'd been in talks for months. It always felt like we were right on the edge of getting a new deal done. It dragged closer and closer to our lease's end date, but I was assured it was basically a formality. Then, just three days before the lease ran out, I got word: the landlord decided not to move forward. No explanation. And you know what? That's commercial real estate. It's a tough, cutthroat game, and sometimes you're the one left standing without a chair when the music stops."
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He speculated about possible reasons why his lease fell through and concluded that it wasn't due to a personal reason. Although it was a big blow, he said, "At the end of the day, I can't hold bitterness. The landlord did what he did, and I can't change it. I only wish it had played out in a way where this all wasn't happening at the last minute." He then went on to explain that he has been with the restaurant's co-owner, Joe, for 16 years. He revealed, "He's always been more reserved than I and never wanted to be named in these stories, and I mostly respected that. Sort of. All those times I talked about 'the accountant'? That was Joe. We had planned to get married this fall, right here at the restaurant. When that suddenly wasn't in the cards anymore, we decided to fast-track it."
Through this Facebook post, he invited people to come and enjoy free food and drink from 5 to 8 pm the next day. It would be a part of their wedding celebration as well as a farewell event for the establishment."We didn't get a whole lot of notice that this was happening, and we've gotta clear out the coolers anyway. This felt like the most fun, most 'on-brand' way to close. Once we run out, we run out." Instead of wedding gifts, he encouraged attendees to leave cash tips, which would then be shared with the shop's staff to help them during this sudden transition.
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After the final service, the shop's contents will be moved to two storage units. Josh expressed being open to new ventures, although he isn't sure what the next chapter is for him. "Another location? Maybe. A new concept? Possibly. A future partnership? Who knows. I'm open to anything and everything that comes my way. In the meantime, I'll finally have a chance to finish my book, maybe start a podcast. You know, typical midlife crisis stuff brought on by crushing trauma," he concluded.
The post, the couple and their shop received a lot of love in the comments section.