Queens Councilwoman Vickie Paladino and Grubhub Head of Community Affairs Brett Swanson gathered at Fish Village in College Point on June 13 to announce a $5,000 donation to the restaurant. The donation is an effort to help cover the repair costs after vandals ransacked the restaurant last March.
“I’m happy to present from Grubhub a check for $5,000 to help Fish Village fix what they need,” Paladino said. “Everybody get out and please patronize Fish Village.”
According to Swanson, once they heard about the damage done to Fish Village, they reached out to Paladino’s office to offer monetary support for the restaurant. Paladino said that within a month of her office beginning talks with Grubhub, the idea for a $5,000 donation was decided upon.
Swanson emphasized the importance of Grubhub working with and being able to give back to their local independent restaurant partners. One example he provided was the numerous restaurant grant opportunities they offer, where they provide funds for things like infrastructure changes or employee staffing.
“On behalf of Grubhub and Council member Paladino, it is our pleasure to award Fish Village with a check for $5,000,” Swanson said. “When we learned of the incident back in March, we wanted to do whatever we can and immediately reached out to Council Member Paladino. Grubhub is proud to support local communities and local independent restaurants. We look forward to helping [Fish Village] rebuild.”
When the restaurant was ransacked on March 4, Paladino viewed the incident as a devastating blow to the community. She was alarmed by the fact that approximately 20 offenders went up the elevator to the third floor at 20-07 127th St. just to commit this violent act.
“Brett Swanson contacted me when they heard the news and saw that my office had been in contact with the owner,” Paladino said. “Swanson asked if we could facilitate a donation on their behalf, and my staff worked to make that happen. This is a small business, the heartbeat of our city and our community. As an elected official, it’s my responsibility to do everything in my power to support them and I was so grateful when GrubHub volunteered to contribute to this restaurants’ recovery. I couldn’t be more proud to facilitate the donation and I look forward to a long, fruitful business in Fish Village.”
According to the NYPD, the mob of teens entered the restaurant on March 4 at around 8:15 p.m. They then proceeded to overturn tables, break chairs and cause damage to a large window there. The authorities estimated the value of property damage was as much as $20,000. The $5,000 donation will certainly go a long way toward putting a dent in the cost of repairs.
