New restaurant hopes to lead the way in Woodbury’s development

There’s a lot riding on the shoulders of Woodbury’s Marlene Mangia Bene restaurant.

The South Broad Street restaurant has been dubbed a “savior” of Woodbury, where the street’s vacancy rate hovers around 30 percent. Though it’s been serving food for some time with word-of-mouth advertising, the owners will host the grand opening today.

“Somebody has to make the first move,” co-owner Frank Filipek, Jr. told the Gloucester County Times. “We’re hoping we can be the pied piper for other businesses to follow.”

The town’s economic development team has touted the Italian restaurant as a “small step” toward revitalization.