Romans IV Restaurant and Lounge in Madison Township is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Located at 1409 Hubbard Road, the eatery has become prominent for the chicken wings that have been served since it opened in 1976. Other popular menu items are its Italian cuisine and lineup of weekend specials, which always includes all-you-can-eat crab legs.
The name Romans IV refers to the four Italians who were the original owners of the establishment.
That ownership group consisted of Mario Izzarelli and his wife, Theresa Izzarelli; along with Theresa’s brother and sister-in-law, Lenny and Louise Alessi.
Mario and Theresa, who are both deceased, were the parents of Julie Izzarelli Lander, who today is a co-owner of Romans IV.
“My mom and dad always wanted to open a restaurant,” Lander said.
Theresa previously resided in the Niagara Falls and Buffalo area of New York. She had been a customer of the Anchor Bar in Buffalo, which claims to be the place where Buffalo-style chicken wings were created.
The Izzarellis were living in Madison Township in the mid-1970s, and Theresa wanted to open a restaurant that served the same type of wings that she enjoyed at the Anchor Bar, Lander said. At that time, the Izzarellis knew of no other restaurants in Northeast Ohio that were serving Buffalo-style wings.
The Izarellis began driving around the area scouting out potential locations for a restaurant. They finally pinpointed a suitable spot when they learned that the Bluebird Tavern at 1409 Hubbard Road in Madison Township was for sale.
“This became available and this is what they bought,” Lander said.
A serving of Romans IV’s chicken wings. Romans IV Restaurant and Lounge, located at 1409 Hubbard Road in Madison Township, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026. Chicken wings have been the top-selling menu item throughout the restaurant’s history. (Courtesy of Julie Lander)
Romans IV’s chicken wings quickly began to attract customers.
“We had people coming from all over to get our wings,” she said.
A plate of Romans IV’s lasagna, which is topped with homemade sauce. Romans IV Restaurant and Lounge, located at 1409 Hubbard Road in Madison Township, is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026. (Courtesy of Julie Lander)
But Romans IV offered a menu that also included Theresa Izarelli’s Italian specialties, such as spaghetti and lasagna.
“I kept my mom’s recipes,” Lander said. “Our spaghetti sauce and our meatballs are homemade. Some people just come and buy meatballs and sauce to go.”
Lander began helping out at the restaurant washing dishes when she was 12. She later was employed as a server and bartender.
“I still serve customers at the restaurant sometimes when they need me,” she said. “And I cook every day in the kitchen with my cooks.”
While many of her mother’s old-style recipes are still customer favorites, Lander said she’s always open to adding new items to the menu.
“Obviously, I’ve had to come up with the times and bring a little more updated dishes,” she said. “For example, flatbreads weren’t even heard of back when we first opened.”
In 2005, Mario and Theresa Izzarelli decided to retire, and sold Romans IV to Lander and her partner, Gary Fedele.
Lander said some of the keys to Romans IV’s ongoing success are consistency, a love for the customers and a great staff.
“My staff is amazing, from the back to the front,” she said. “They care as much as I do.”
Chicken wings have reigned as Romans IV’s best-seller throughout the restaurant’s history, she said. While Buffalo, medium and hot are some of the most popular choices in this product category, Lander said the variety of wings at Romans IV has grown considerably over the years.
“I have wings my mom and dad probably never even heard of,” she said. “In recent years, we added Jamaican jerk wings, which have become a pretty big seller, too.”
Romans IV’s weekend specials are another feature that many customers enjoy.
“It’s a big thing,” Lander said. “People will come in, and right away they’ll ask, ‘What are your weekend specials?’ ”
All-you-can eat crab legs always are featured as one of the weekend specials at Romans IV Restaurant and Lounge. Located at 1409 Hubbard Road in Madison Township, Romans IV is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026. (Courtesy of Julie Lander)
While Lander tries to create a different assortment of specials every weekend, one item that’s always on the list is all-you-can eat crab legs.
Although Romans IV hasn’t sponsored a large-group special event at the restaurant to mark its 50th anniversary, Lander has conducted a few promotions in conjunction with the milestone.
For example, she’s had customers fill out tickets at different intervals with their names and addresses, and then held prize drawings.
In the first drawing, the winner won 50 free chicken wings. The second time around, a $50 gift certificate was awarded to the person whose name was picked.
This exterior photo of Romans IV Restaurant and Lounge was taken in 1984. The building’s outdoor signage looks much different today. Located at 1409 Hubbard Road in Madison Township, Romans IV is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2026. The eatery has become prominent for the chicken wings that have been served since it opened in 1976. Other popular menu items are its Italian cuisine and lineup of weekend specials, which always includes all-you-can-eat crab legs. (Courtesy of Ken Gauntner)
Lander said that the many years she spent working with her family at Romans IV and then owning the establishment have been a rewarding experience.
“I love it — I have so many memories, and I would miss my customers horribly if I wasn’t here,” she said. “I’d like to stay here as long as I can.”
Romans IV Restaurant and Lounge
1409 Hubbard Road, Madison Township
Hours: Noon to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday
Information: romansmadison.com or 440-428-7272
