St. John’s Rialto Tavern under new ownership

St. John’s Rialto Tavern

The ownership of the Rialto Tavern in St. John has changed hands, passing from previous owners Ward and Kathy Pierce to Marc and Kayla Howard.

Marc Howard told the Gazette he and his wife took over Wednesday, July 20, and they have enjoyed it so far.

“We saw a really successful Friday night,” he said. “A lot of people said it was the busiest Friday night in a long time.”

The Pierces owned and operated the tavern for 20 years, with Ward operating it with the help of employees for much of the first 16 years. A stroke left him unable to continue as the sole operator, and...