(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Restaurants come and go, but they are not forgotten.
As quickly as eateries pop onto the food scene, they can shut just as suddenly.
Why do restaurants fail? We are continually doing some soul-searching on the subject.
The answers may lie with lease terms (resulting in five- or 10-year lifetimes), foot traffic (not enough), lousy service or lousy food. Or it could be time for an owner to retire and quietly bow out of business.
Whatever the reason, Staten Island saw 122 restaurants close this year, according to the city Health Department. Last year saw a mere handful of places out of business, at least compared to other years.
The 2018 number includes businesses with ownership changes and/or those who will "still be operating with a different permit under the new ownership," as in places with a concept change, the Health Department said.
But let's talk about some significant closures.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
Earlier this year saw SmokeNBrew snuffed out, a motley mix of barbecue foods along with Middle Eastern remnants from its former rendition as Desert Rose. (That was an experience.)
But from the ashes arose the Richmond Republic, a sports bar aiming to bring in families with "gastropub" fare and a vibe that's pleasant for all ages.
That makes three concepts with Carmine Gualtieri as a principal. He also co-owns Play Sports Bar and The Pizza Parlor, both in Annadale, and Hop Shoppe in Stapleton, which has an arcade component.
Additionally, Eltingville also lost AKA Sushi after many years. But it gained an Avocado Sushi, making the third location under the brand.
Closing day at Gennaro's
This was a stunner. Like Schaffer's Tavern (sniff), I was sad to see a Staten Island tradition go away, especially having grown up with the place since it was Pizza Town.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
Gennaro's had roots at the corner of New Dorp Lane and Hylan Boulevard going back to 1969. The business, known back then for its red and white, rounded tent architecture, was called Pizza Clown.
Jerry and and his wife, Maria, bought the business which became Pizza Town USA, a notable paradigm of Staten Island's mom-and-pop businesses of the era. The restaurant served consistent calzones, hot heroes and Jerry's signature pizza.
The location in Rab's Country Lanes is still open, a business purchased by Marco Recchia and his wife, Tina, eight years ago.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
Also on the list of stunners
Cafe Del Mondo died this summer.
A sign went up in August saying it was closed for renovations. But as of Aug. 1, Staten Islanders became suspicious. The owner, Jimmy Markos, intended to have a "total renovation including the kitchen, dining room, all restrooms, private party room and outside entrance."
But the Department of Education had a better plan with ... a school.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
"The plan to reopen has been bogged down with architect plans and Buildings Department red tape and the cost has become exorbitant. We needed a total renovation including new kitchen." Markos said.
The DOE's offer was a deal not to be refused.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
King's, located at 2212 Victory Blvd. across the street from the Society of St. Paul/Alba House, was in a strip mall under renovation for about four years. Workers in neighboring businesses said the construction limited the store's visibility along Victory Boulevard.
The moral of the story might be: Don't take those older restaurants for granted.
(Staten Island Advance File Photo)
The Tilted Kilt closed its beleaguered "breastaurant" concept in Charleston on March 21, 2018.
A lesson can be learned from Tilted Kilt's ephemeral presence in Charleston, Anthony Morangelli of Bioclean Chemicals previously told the Advance.
The sports bar, closed in May after a seven-month run, included scantily dressed women servers, aka "entertainers." Morangelli said the entrepreneurs just didn't understand the community.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
"They opened up a place like that in a family neighborhood. It's a very family-oriented area, everybody knows everybody," he said.
When the story of Tilted Kilt's closure was posted on SILive in March, commentator NorthShoreGirl summed it up as this: "Not to start a gender debate, but a lot of retailers in that area are geared toward women....Christmas Tree Shop, Ulta, Target, [Bed Bath & Beyond], TJ Maxx, Carters, etc. Why would anyone think that sticking a place like Tilted Kilt there would work? Not exactly where you wanna bring the kids to eat after shopping for lipstick and throw pillows. Not against those kinda places, but location...location...location."
(Staten Island Advance File Photo)
The casualties of Stapleton
How long can a restaurant owner wait until a blighted area has its Cinderella moment?
Gatsby's technically closed in 2017, but it's among the places that just couldn't wait for the crowds to come.
Now, the address is The Richmond and the success of VINUM and Taverna on the Bay has brought new life back to the Bay Street drag between Tappen Park and the abandoned Bayley Seton Hospital property.
The Staten Island Chamber of Commerce identifies this swath of Bay Street, otherwise known as part of the "Bay Street Corridor" and "Downtown Staten Island," as a budding restaurant hub.
They orchestrated a street festival which, alas, was a bust. But the restaurants along the way were eager to participate and help make it happen. And the strip has looked much spiffier with the added attention to it, thanks to the 2018 Stapleton Storefront Enhancement Grant Program.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
But we're talking restaurant requiems here.
Add to Stapleton's obit list: Sabor Macchu Picchu on Beach Street with its Peruvian menu and The Corner Grind of Stapleton, which has a sign posted for some time now that it is closed for renovations.
(Staten Island Advance File Photo)
Other Stapleton closures
Wazobia African restaurant was officially deemed "closed" in 2018, one of the very few subcontinent spots to take root on Staten Island with a significant run of about five years. Some staff migrated over to new Chez Adja in Tompkinsville, now the borough's only African eatery.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
Well-loved farmers from Urby known as Empress Greens will not return to the residential complex.
Wife-husband team Zaro and Asher were appreciated for their pop-up restaurants featuring the foods of fellow local growers. But there's always next year and, hopefully, a new set of beekeeping, herb-growing, tomato-harvesting tenants.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
Like the sands of time slipping through an hourglass ...
... so have two of three Perkins Restaurants on Staten Island morphed into Denny's.
One of Staten Island's longest-running casual eateries located in Graniteville on Forest Avenue declared its final day of business over the summer. It served its last tater tots and shredded hash browns on Sunday, Sept. 16.
The Hylan Boulevard outlet in Dongan Hills still exists.
(Courtesy of Joe Polimeni)
Hello! Goodbye! Hello? No.
Yeah, that tomato bisque of Joe Broadway's is long gone.
Joe Polimeni opened a new chapter at Joe Broadway's in March. That happened after a manager allegedly swiped about $73,000 from the Great Kills bar last year. Joe felt it was time for the business to take a brief respite after that so he closed, then opened, then -- bam -- he sold the place.
The mirthful proprietor focuses now on his Mariners Harbor pub and billiards hall of the same name Joe Broadway's.
Now, 1st & 3rd: An American Bar serves at 4029 Hylan Boulevard, former home to Hylan Park Place, which opened in mid-September of 2015 and, prior to that, Dugout South.
Before that, it was a few renditions of restaurants, including Russian-themed Island Grill, before that La Galleria Mediterreano and before that La Galleria. Anyone remember what the premises were even before that?
(Courtesy of Cheech A Cini)
Through heatwaves, rainstorms and even a pregnancy, Jamie and Frank Melisi toiled for the last three years on their food truck Cheech A Cini's Truckin' Trattoria.
The couple has loved their mobile restaurant life and, most especially, loyal patrons who enjoyed their Italian meals at 1322 Travis Ave. at the Mid-Island Babe Ruth League.
But, happily, Frank, who is trained chef, will join the ranks of proud city sanitation workers.
The truck had its loyal followers who will miss the Italian food, especially the signature rice balls.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
After Victory Cantina closed suddenly following Cinco De Mayo in 2017, it reopened as Mulligan's -- get it? A "mulligan" is a golf term that refers to a "do-over."
Moving on ...
(Courtesy of Potatopia)
The spud stops here
"Imagine a world filled with locally sourced spuds [when available], cooked into dishes like Shepherd's pie. Imagine those potatoes are called out by varietal -- Russet, Jumbo Yam and Kennebec -- on the menu." And so began the introduction to Potatopia's arrival at the Staten Island Mall.
"With the Mall expansion, Potatopia will not continue at the Staten Island location," Allen Dikker, company CEO, told the Advance upon the stand's closure in the summer. He hopes for another Staten Island location. In this instance with the Mall in those pre-Food District days, Dikker said, "People love our food but there was not enough traffic."
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
Lotta pizza in this town
So that product had better be top-notch.
Anyway, M2O (short for "Made 2 Order") was an automated pizza concept that combined successful fast food concepts from sandwich and other pizza franchises with customized orders from a salad-type bar behind the counter. The restaurant lasted about a year.
(Staten Island Advance File Photo)
Casa Franco is the sixth restaurant at 747 Forest Ave. to close since 2001. Its flagship eatery, Italianissimo, is open in South Beach, where gift certificates from Casa Franco are honored.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
OMG!
No, really.
OMG!, as in the juice bar and health-minded casual eatery, closed in West Brighton. ViVi Bubble Tea moved in shortly afterward.
Further down Forest Avenue, Empire Szechuan 8, Inc. at 1537 Forest Ave., Graniteville went dark.
(Staten Island Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel)
Puglia no more
No more pizza, parmigiana or pasta comes from the kitchen of Staten Island's Puglia of Hester Street. The Great Kills Italian restaurant closed its doors in November.
(Staten Island Advance/Pamela Silvestri)
The title of "shortest-lived restaurant concept" goes to ...
... Papi's.
Remember this place in Tompkinsville? Probably not. Because it was there around May -- and then it wasn't.
Formerly located in the now party room of DaddyO's BBQ, the restaurant's Mexican dishes have been folded into its host restaurant. This is the short rib sandwich from DaddyOs, by the way, where you can also find South of the Border fare.
(P.S. When will the long, long, long, long-awaited DaddyO's of Richmond Valley open? Greg Fosdal quips, "No date as usual.")
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