BURLINGTON — Wednesday marked the end of an era, the end of business for the Jimmy's On the Mall restaurant, which has been a staple at the Burlington Mall since 1980.

It is going to be replaced by the Cheesecake Factory, slated for opening in the spring.

Nancy DiFrancesco and Joseph Denaro, who have worked at Jimmy's since its inception, and Priscilla Tobin, who has worked there the last 15 years, were interviewed by the Daily Times Chronicle, each seeming to sum up the prevailing feeling on the closing.

"This is sad," DiFrancesco stated. "We have been here a lot of years. This is very sad. Jimmy's is a Burlington institution."

"You're looking at 65 years combined experience (between herself, Denaro, and Tobin) here," DiFrancesco went on to say.

"The customers become like they are part of your family, almost," DiFrancesco said. "They have shared things with us about their families ... It is just the whole ambience of the restaurant that does it."

"We heard the rumors of the closing, never thought they were true," DiFrancesco added.

"Sure it's sad," Denaro said. "We never thought this place would close — we thought we would be here forever."

Tobin and DiFrancesco said they have seen generations of customers enjoy the food at Jimmy's, and in Tobin's case, it is generations of her own family who have worked there.

"We've seen the sons and daughters of our original customers come in here," Tobin stated. "Three of my kids have worked here; my brother and sister worked here. Generations of Tobins have worked here."

Most of the employees, fortunately, will continue to have jobs.

Denaro said 90 percent of jobs "will be absorbed," as part of the American Food Systems chain includes Jimmy's in Arlington (where Tobin will be working), and Grassfield's in Waltham and Andover (DiFrancesco will be working in one of these places).

Denaro said he would be remaining with American Food Systems "in a management capacity."

Two other employees have been with Jimmy's since its inception — Geraldine VanAlstine and Elizabeth Woods — but they could not make the interview.

"We'll be working, but it is a longer distance to travel," DiFrancesco said.

American Food Systems President Mark Miminous previously said Jimmy's had sought other locations in town, but was unsuccessful.

Younger clientele sought

"People are going to really miss this place; upon learning about the closing, some of them were crying," DiFrancesco said. "We have a lot of elderly who come here."

"The elderly are just being pushed out like this and it is a shame," Tobin said. "These people built this town and now they are being kicked to the curb ... I have nothing against Cheesecake. It is the mall. They are just pushing out the little people, and it is not fair."

Tobin went on to say that of the many customers she has served in the past week, "only one party told me they like the Cheesecake Factory."

"For the older people, this is their local spot," said DiFrancesco. "The Cheesecake Factory is not affordable for them at all. They (Burlington Mall) want to bring in more yuppies."

"I think the mall will regret it," Tobin said. "I really do."

"We were just one big family," said Denaro. "Everybody got along fairly well. We had our good and bad days, but we just tried to keep the customers satisfied as best we could..

"You couldn't beat it for price and quality," Denaro continued. "And the place was always jammed. Even this past Saturday night, there was a two-hour wait."

"People try to say to me, 'this was just another job,'" said Tobin. "Well, it wasn't."