Parks Department Finds New Operator For Former Valentino’s On The Green

A new operator is set to reopen Patrizia’s of Bayside - formerly Valentino’s on the Green - as a yet-to-be named Italian restaurant. The Parks Department had allowed the failed restaurant to run a private catering business on the publicly owned land.

Queens


Patrizia’s of Bayside, the former site of Caffe on the Green and Valentino’s on the Green, has found a new operator, according to Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski, according to The Queens Courier.

“We are very excited that a new concessionaire will be operating the former Valentino’s on the Green and look forward to the reopening,” said Lewandowski.

The new operator, 123 Restaurant Group is owned by George Makkos and Paul Nicaji. the pair who run the successful Battery Gardens restaurant in Battery Park. Makkos is also the operator of Terrace on the Park, located in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

Although 123 has not decided on a name for the future Italian restaurant, they are interested in keeping the Valentino connection and may call it Villa Valentino, said Lewandowski.

It is expected to open in about two months after they obtain a liquor license transfer and make some minor changes to the interior.


Read More:

Parks Department finds new operator for Patrizia’s of Bayside
The Queens Courier - March 3, 2013 - By Cristabelle Tumola

Parks Dept. Allowing Failed Restaurant To Run Private Catering Business
A Walk In The Park -  January 13, 2013

Parks Dept. Allowing Failed Restaurant To Run Private Catering Business

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. (Photo: Yinghao Luo)

Queens

After a change in identity and ownership less than six months ago, a Bayside restaurant has closed its lunch and dinner offerings, the city Parks Department said, according to Times Ledger. 

According to a Parks spokesman, Patrizia’s of Bayside will only offer its catering services after it originally opened for lunch and dinner in June. Any future plans at the location were not disclosed, however.

The Parks-owned restaurant replaced the upscale Valentino’s on the Green with a more moderately priced Italian cuisine approach over the summer and kicked off with rave reviews, the restaurant said.

After its opening week, more than 1,000 dinners were served at the 201-10 Cross Island Pkwy. location without the help of advertising, management said.

Giorgio Kolaj, who also ran Valentino’s on the Green, said the restaurant needed to shift its focus to catering due to a packed schedule of parties. Until further notice, he said Patrizia’s will only open for its scheduled catered events.

The building operates under a 17-year lease as of its name change in June, Parks said. The Bayside restaurant’s website has been under construction since Patrizia’s opened in June.

In June, brothers Giacomo and Gennaro Alaio took over the restaurant when it changed its name to Patrizia’s of Bayside. The new eatery officially opened June 12 and featured a completely revamped family-style Italian menu, which Gennaro Alaio said was designed to make the establishment more accessible to customers throughout the region.

“We wanted to reopen it as more of a moderate family Italian restaurant,” he said. “The new approach included bigger portions and a more casual dining atmosphere.”

The shift in focus and more moderate pricing was intended to keep the business running, Parks said, after Valentino’s’ more expensive menu had become difficult to maintain in a declining economy.

The Alaio brothers said the Patrizia’s name extended far beyond Queens before its move to Bayside with locations in Brooklyn, the Bronx and Stamford, Conn. The owners brought their brand of Italian cuisine to Bayside in June as part of a plan to build a presence in all five boroughs, the brothers said.

Read More:

Patrizia’s pivots business to only catering parties
Times Ledger - January 12, 2012 - By Phil Corso