The Mario's building on Monroe Avenue in Brighton met the bucket of an excavator on Friday. Demolishing the former restaurant is the first step in a process which will eventually lead to a Whole Foods store on the parcel near Interstate 590.

This follows a state Supreme Court ruling dismissing a lawsuit by the plan's opponents, who argued the scope of the project is too large and would have brought too much traffic to an already busy stretch of road.

Daniele Family Companies now hopes to break ground this spring on the site, where a former bowling alley and another restaurant building stood.