City Councilman Nafis Nichols alluded to Chester’s booming economy in the 1950s and ’60s during the recent grand opening of Uno Chicago Grill, the first sit-down, chain restaurant in the city’s history, on Providence Avenue.

Uno’s arrival on land owned by Widener University is a giant leap forward for Chester, as it feverishly seeks to recreate its more-prosperous times.

“This is the beginning of something new, an example of what Chester can be in the future,” said Nichols. “There are great things going on here despite what you see on the news.”

Nichols – along with Widener President Dr. Julie Wollman and Angella Bock, Vice President of Business Development for the Bock Group – cut the ribbon on the restaurant known for its deep-dish pizza.

Bock and her husband Tom run nine franchise locations in Pennsylvania, including the one in Newtown Square, and three in New Jersey.

“The morale of the employees we hired is incredible,” said Bock. “They’re so excited and ecstatic to be here. They don’t want Chester to be this black mark on the map.”

Uno generated 150 jobs and will add vital tax revenue to the city’s coffers.

“An important part of the Widener University mission is contributing to the vitality and well-being of the communities we serve,” said Wollman. “The importance of restaurants to the life of a community is evident. They are a community-building site.”

Read more about the Uno’s ribbon cutting celebration on Delco Times here.

Below is the video of the 12 minute ribbon-cutting ceremony from Thursday morning beginning with Angella Bock welcoming the 50 or so university, city, county, and state VIP’s gathered to celebrate the momentous occasion.