The news that Mitch's was closing for good arrived with all the notice of a pink slip, hearkening the wisdom of former Red Sox manager Joe Morgan, who could not fathom watching drag racing and described it thusly: "The flag is up, they're off. It's over."
So it was with the venerable watering hole and restaurant that has graced the lower end of Rogers Street for more than 40 years. The flag went up late Friday night, when owner Steve Bertolino got news that the owners of the building at 18 Rogers St. — Mark and Jay Salah — were selling the property to Deo Braga, who owns the Azorean restaurant and eight Dunkin' Donuts franchises on Cape Ann.
That sale wasn't wholly unexpected. What was unexpected was the edict that Monday — of course, it would be Halloween — would be Mitch's final act.
"I didn't think it would be that quick, not after 40 years," said Bertolino, who worked at the House of Mitch for 30 years before he and Shaun Murphy bought the business from the brothers Salah in 2013.
