By Joe Anuta
A Glendale business never got a license to open a restaurant, city officials said, but that did not stop it from getting a liquor license from the state.
Villagio Pizza, at 79-76 Cooper Ave., is listed as a factory, according to the city Department of Buildings, and does not have a certificate of occupancy to serve food.
The issue was brought up at a Community Board 5 meeting earlier this month, when Chairman Vincent Arcuri said Buildings had contacted the community board to alert it that the business was operating illegally.
But Arcuri said the State Liquor Authority should have caught the mistake, since it issued the illegal eatery a license to serve beer and wine May 9 that is valid until Jan. 31.
The liquor license on file on the authority’s website lists an address that does not even exist in Buildings’ database.
The authority did not respond to questions about the license by press time.
But a document from Buildings about the address of the owners, 79-04 Cooper Ave., which is attached to the restaurant, shows that a stop-work order was issued on the property.
Sal Puzzo, a friend of the owners, said the liquor license was transferred from another business that the owners ran down the street and that everything is in order. He spoke on the behalf of the owners, who he said do not speak English well.
“They moved the license from one place to another,” he said. “It was transferred from the original restaurant where they were they had a [certificate of occupancy] and everything.”
But Joe and Nick’s Pizza Inc., the owners of the restaurant, may have jumped the gun.
Buildings said that before the company can get a new certificate of occupancy listing it as a legitimate restaurant, it must pay the requisite fines.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
