Gino’s Pizzeria & Ristorante of Williston Park will close on Feb. 22 after 47 years in business.
Frank Speciale, 75, has run the business for its entire life, along with his late wife, Josephine, and his two sons, Gerry and Giovanni.
“It’s bittersweet. We’ve been here for 47 years, we’ve built relationships, close-knit bonds with a lot of the customers,” Gerry Speciale said. “They’ve become friends and family.”
Frank Speciale first opened the business in 1979 with Josephine, according to their son.
“I’m going to miss everybody, and I’m going to miss the shop,” Frank Speciale said. “A couple months ago, [I made] the decision.”
Frank Speciale, originally from Sicily, said Williston Park has always reminded him of home. He said people in the village used to have big families, and everyone called each other by nicknames, just like in Sicily.
“Nice [people] in Williston Park. Very good people. Everybody treated me right, and I treat [the people] right,” he said. “The village, it looks like one family.”
He said that after working seven days a week for so many years, it would be a difficult adjustment.
“It’ll be a little tough,” he said. “We are in winter, so it’s really tough. In the summer, I have a lot to do; I’ll spend a lot of time in the backyard. I walk around all the time, and everyone knows me.”
He said that in retirement, he’ll be able to return to Sicily to visit family and stay in the house he has there.
“Saying goodbye to something that shaped your life is one of the hardest things you can do,” a Facebook post from the Speciale family announcing the closure said. “Working together as a family, serving a community we cared deeply about, and sharing something that gave our lives purpose and meaning.”
Frank Speciale said he will always remember the people of Williston Park, and he hopes he will continue seeing them after his retirement.
“He never forgot a face,” the post said, “because he genuinely cared about the people behind it.”
