Fans of Final Score, the iconic sandwich shop in Newhall, visited to say goodbye to owner Joe Comella and have one last meal before the location’s doors close this week.

Final Score is set to close Thursday, June 30 after 43 years in business due to the growing cost of meat, partially caused by inflation and rising production costs.

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A Community Hub

“The people on these walls right here, they’ve been coming in here for 43 years,” Comella said, gesturing at the framed pictures of Santa Clarita high school sports teams over the years hanging in the dining room. “Some of them moved away, but when they come back in town they come right here.”

People do seem to find their way back to the shop on Lyons Avenue. On Tuesday, several former Santa Clarita residents who happened to be in the area visited the restaurant to say goodbye to Comella.

One customer currently lives in Ohio and stopped by to catch up with the shop owner. He took a picture of one of the framed photos in the restaurant which had his son in it.

Comella himself often paused during his interview to sit and speak with Final Score customers he had gotten to know over the years.

Many visitors went out of their way to greet Comella and tell him how much they would miss his food and his service.

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A Local Tradition

“Every time one of my kids comes back to town, before we even go home, we have to come here,” said Debra Elder, who has been going to Final Score since 1985. “He [Comella] knew my kids, my name, everything else.”

Elder said the flavor of the sandwiches — particularly the pickles used in them — and the friendly service are what make the restaurant special.

“It’s to the point that you can tell when they make a slight change to the recipe, because you so know what that taste is,” Elder said.

Elder came to the restaurant with a friend who is now an Orange County resident. The woman has been visiting Final Score since the year it opened in 1979.

“We watched it grow,” said the woman, who declined to provide her name for privacy reasons. “They were different than everybody else.”

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The Future of Final Score

According to Comella, this is not the end for Final Score. He hopes to reopen the restaurant sometime in the next year if inflation slows.

If Final Score were to make a comeback, Comella says it would reopen at a larger location and serve alcoholic drinks.

“It’s been a very good run,” Comella said. “Our food, our menu, all these pictures will go into the new store… It’ll be a wide open dining room like you’ve never seen before for family. But if you want a margarita, if you want a mimosa, you’ll be able to get it.”

Comella also expressed hope that another eatery would take over the current Final Score location.

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“I think this would make a great breakfast house,” Comella said. “So if anybody’s looking for a restaurant, it’s turnkey, all they have to do is walk in.”

For now, though, fans of Final Score will have to do without the food and heart provided by the small shop.

“Joe and his family have been such a part of the Santa Clarita community,” Elder said, wiping away tears. “They have been amazing in every way. They’re part of the heart and soul of Santa Clarita.”

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