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After 55 years at its original location, Ledo Restaurant will close its doors in the Adelphi Shopping Center for the final time on Sunday. It will move to a new location in College Park, where owners expect to open the week of Aug. 8.

The restaurant, which specializes in pizza, sandwiches and other Italian and American dishes, was founded by Tommy Marcos Sr. in 1955. Last year, the Marcos family signed an agreement to move into ground floor retail space in College Park's newly opened downtown parking garage, rather than make costly, extensive renovations to their longtime home.

"It's going to be emotional. There's a lot of history in that location," said Tommy Marcos Jr., who owns and operates the restaurant with his brother, Jimmy. "I kind of grew up in there and I know a lot of people who have been in the area. There's just a lot of memories."

Over the years, the restaurant gained iconic status, spawning more than 80 franchises throughout the mid-Atlantic, Florida and Georgia, and gaining the attention of Oprah Winfrey, whose talk show featured the original location as one of America's best pizza places in 2006.

"We're very excited about Ledo's coming to downtown College Park," said College Park Mayor Andrew Fellows. "I think it will provide a family and student gathering place, and I think it'll be a little bit of a destination site for people in the region."

Today, the Marcos family still owns and runs the Adelphi location, while the Ledo's franchises are owned by Annapolis-based Ledo Pizza System Inc. Marcos said he expects to do well in the new location, as it will be in a busier area near the University of Maryland, College Park.

"There wasn't that much foot traffic down by us," Marcos said. "With the university and being in the center of College Park, there's a lot more people moving around, which is good for any business."

Ted Hull, an Adelphi resident and president of the Cool Spring Terrace Civic Association, said while he understands the move will likely prove lucrative for the restaurant's owners, he believes it could also shut out some longtime visitors who won't be quite as willing or able to visit downtown College Park, which is about five miles from the original location.

"Having it conveniently located [in Adelphi] brings the kind of positive attention that we need in our community," Hull said. "I wish them all the best, but I know a lot of the elderly people in my community are not keen on having to drive."

Marcos said that while some longtime customers have worried they won't be able to visit the new location as often, most are excited about the move. He added that the restaurant's exact re-open date depends on how soon Washington Gas can install natural gas piping in the new location.

"Other than the ovens, almost everything in there is going to be new," Marcos said, adding that the current employees will also be coming along. "Food-wise, everything is going to be the same."