One of the winning bidders to operate the former Caffé on the Green in Bayside has been “dropped” from the contract, The Courier has learned.
In January, the city’s Department of Parks & Recreation selected the bid of Friendship Restaurant Group from among proposals to operate a high-quality restaurant at the site, which is on the grounds of the Clearview Golf Course.
Friendship was a joint venture between Usha Holdings and Famiglia DeBartolo L.L.C., a family-owned, White Plains-based operator and franchisor of Famous Famiglia Pizzerias in the U.S and India.
Usha Holdings, a restaurant operating company with an address in Woodside, currently holds the franchise to operate the World’s Fair Marina Restaurant on Parks Department land, between LaGuardia Airport and Citi Field.
According to a source in Mayor Bloomberg’s office, Usha Holdings will not be a party to the contract. The source declined to provide specifics, prior to official statements on the matter, expected “in the next few days.”
Even after initially accepting the Friendship Restaurant Group’s bid, Parks decided to postpone finalizing the contract because the World’s Fair Marina Restaurant is being audited by the City Comptroller’s office.
Spokespersons at both Parks and the Comptroller’s office pointed out that these audits are routine, and the decision to wait until the audit is completed was simply “prudent.” They declined to comment on any audit in progress, until the official report is released.
A spokesperson for Comptroller William Thompson would not offer a time frame when the audit of the restaurant might be completed.
All contracts with the city must be registered by the Comptroller’s office before they become official.
Numerous calls to the restaurant, Usha Holdings and Famiglia in White Plains were not returned by press time.
