This is not the first time Tommy's has undergone change. In November 1992, Tommy retired and sold the business to Zaharias Mougros and Alex Bafris, the primary shareholders in Harvard Square House of Pizza Corp.
Mougros and Bafris changed the name to Tommy's House of Pizza.
For some, even that was too much change. Some students complained, in particular, that the new owners, unlike Tommy, were polite.
"Tommy's was my library and second home," Karin B. Braverman '94 said after the closing of Tommy's Lunch in December 1992. "It was wonderful. It was a great place; I'm going to miss it."
McHale is confident that his new, healthier food business will flourish. "We are interested in the pizza business, it's a great location and we have experience in Harvard Square."
But by changing the very name of the place, McHale may be messing with Tommy's traditional appeal.
"You can get healthy food anywhere in the square; this is one of the last hangouts of greasy eating," said Mike J. Morell '95. "It's something you'd like to come back to 30 years later and point out to your children."