Talk about paving paradise and putting up a parking lot. Totonno’s, the nearly century-old Coney Island pizzeria that closed at the outset of the pandemic, has announced its intention to stay closed. Although the granddaughter of founder Antonio “Totonno” Pero has not ruled out the possibility that the family-owned business may reopen some day, for now its focus is on selling its pies frozen, along with the DiGiornos, the Freschettas, the Totinos (no relation), and other national brands.
According to the Brooklyn Paper, the launch of Totonno’s frozen pies is set for late September or early October. Initially, the pizzas will be sold locally via Uber Eats, but the eventual goal is to enter the frozen foods aisles at supermarkets across America.
Boathouse Rejects $6 Million Offer
Speaking of New York institutions, the Boathouse in Central Park, which like Totonno’s closed temporarily in 2020 due to the pandemic and more recently — like Totonno’s — announced that it was closing for good, has rejected an offer to save it.
The New York Post reports that the city turned down an offer by billionaire investor Andrew Murstein “to upgrade and save the doomed lakeside restaurant.”
Lawyer Barry Le Patner, who made the pitch to the Parks Department on behalf of Murstein and [long-time operator Dean] Poll, said, “Andrew came along and said he’d like to be a white knight.”
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But the lawyer said the offer was rebuffed — not by Parks but by the city’s Office of Management and Budget, which wanted even more dough, he claimed.
“It was like in ‘Oliver Twist’ — ‘Please sir, I want some more,’ ” Le Patner said.
The restaurant has provided diners with a scenic lakeside view for more than 150 years.
See also…
A Farewell to the Boathouse; Free Home Cooked Small Bites This Weekend; Velveeta Martini
