DOWNEY - Chris & Pitts, the family-owned barbecue restaurant at Lakewood Boulevard and Gallatin Road, has no plans to close despite rumors to the contrary, restaurant officials said this week.The rumors started in April, when this newspaper reported plans for a townhouse development on the northwest corner of that intersection, restaurant representatives said. Forty-six townhouses are tentatively scheduled to be built on the lot directly north of the restaurant, which was once occupied by Downey Ford. Chris Pelonis opened Chris & Pitts in 1940 and still oversees the restaurant chain, which also includes locations in Whittier and Bellflower.

********** Published: August 02, 2012 - Volume 11 - Issue 16