Monday, January 14, 2013

Can't cut it as a restaurant? Then how about a catering hall?

From A Walk in the Park:

Running A Private Business On Public Park land. The Parks Department revenue division is now permitting Parks-owned Patrizia's of Bayside - formerly Valentino’s on the Green - to close its lunch and dinner options to the general public to allow the concessionaire to exclusively focus on its catering services. Until further notice Patrizia’s will only open for its scheduled catered events. Difficult to see the public benefit here.

More of the story from the Times Ledger.

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

one wonders why there is no mention of the very successful "CAFE ON THE GREEN" and the profitable franchise $$$$$$ that were gained by the nyc taxpayers and government ?

Queens Crapper said...

This is why: Its management, Merissa Restaurant, "was underreporting revenue and owed the Parks Department more than $120,000" and that its owner "Joseph Franco - along with his brother and an uncle - were listed by law enforcement as made members of the Gambino crime family."

Joseph Franco is the same liar who owns the White House restaurant in Whitestone. For some reason, Paul Vallone and Dan Halloran took his side against local homeowners in a zoning battle.

Anonymous said...

Joey "d'or" Franco left a real mess here.

BTW
Councilman Halloran spit in the face of Whitestone residents and supported Franco with his
White House Restaurant expansion plans!

Do not forget that when he's up for re-election!

P.S.
CB#7 member Paul Vallone voted in favor of the expansion too.
Remember that as Paul tries to grab Dan's seat.

We're fucked...either way, aren't we?

Anonymous said...

Liars and mafiosi...some combination!

And Halloran ain't even Sicilian...or could he really be...
Daniello Halloranni !

Anonymous said...

Who is this "Merissa"...Joey's "commare" (mistress)?

Anonymous said...

Is that the reason why the " contractors" on that job are stalling. They are either not there or walking around on the job doing nothing. Do Paul and Dan have an agreement with Joey to stall until after the elections and then he can do watteva he wanta?

Wake up people. It appears that Vallone and Halloran are up to their old tricks. And guess who gets screwed wit no lube

We do!

Anonymous said...

Is that the reason why the " contractors" on that job are stalling. They are either not there or walking around on the job doing nothing. Do Paul and Dan have an agreement with Joey to stall until after the elections and then he can do watteva he wanta?

Wake up people. It appears that Vallone and Halloran are up to their old tricks. And guess who gets screwed wit no lube

We do!

Anonymous said...

So who do we vote for,
"doofy" Dan "hollerin" Halloran or "Don" Paulo a la Famiglia di Vallone?

What a puzzlement!

Anonymous said...

I agree. Say what you want to say but Caffe was successful and brought $$ to the City. Lest not forget the time the property layed dormant and generated no income to the City. The local media put a stop to that.

Queens Crapper said...

So if a business is making money but doing something wrong, it should be rewarded with a contract renewal. Great logic.

Anonymous said...

No, there should be contractual penalties punitive enough to discourage repeat offenses.

Anonymous said...

"under-reporting revenue" since when is the waiter's tips "revenue for the city" ? how can not reporting employee's tips be breaking the contract? the employee's report them on their individual nyc/nys/fed. tax returns.don't they? don't other waiters in the food service industry have to file their income tax ?

read the original complaint by the city ,that was debated by the C.O.T.G. defense lawyers ?

15-20 years of revenues do not add up to $120,000. of franchise payments to the city.

Queens Crapper said...

Auditors determined that Caffe on the Green took $900,182 in improper deductions from gross receipts, resulting in $120,607 in fees and late charges owed to the city. Although Franco’s lawyers disputed the charges, Elizabeth Smith, assistant Parks commissioner, confirmed that her agency was requiring the restaurant to pay the charges and that Parks would soon be issuing a RFP to seek a new concessionaire, who would take over once Franco’s contract is up in February 2009.

Anonymous said...

Wasn't there a mafia "hit" outside "Cafe On The Green"?

Anonymous said...

This mafioso crap needs to go bye bye especially when the owner is running a legit business. As an American of Sicilian and Italian decent I take offense to these stereotypes. Joe Franco is no street gangster just a gentleman trying to run a restaurant.