BY BILL PARRY
The operators of the Rockaway
Beach boardwalk concessions
are hustling to get
ready for Memorial Day weekend
after vandals struck their
location at Beach 97th Street,
causing damage estimated
around $10,000.
In a criminal mischief filing
with the NYPD on May 13,
the complaint listed “damage
to several metal doors, office
in disarray and food placed
inside of pipes and vents.” The
incident followed a contentious
off-season for Rockaway
Beach Bazaar, which took
over the lease for the Parks
Department concession areas.
Co-owners Belvy Klein and
Aaron Broudo were awarded
the contract from NYC Parks
after outbidding Rockaway
Beach Club, which operated
the properties for nearly a
decade.
“We are working our tails
off to be open by Memorial Day
weekend and look forward to
a fun, sunny first season in
Rockaway,” Klein and Broudo
said in a statement. “We are
happy to have reached agreements
with Caracas, Rippers
and the majority of the Beach
97th food vendors. The incident
at Beach 97th is unfortunate
and a real bummer not only
for us, but our vendors as well.
We will continue to push for,
and work with, the Rockaway
small business community.”
Parks awarded the 15-year
contract to Klein and Broudo,
who also operate the wildly
popular Riis Park Bazaar for
the past five years. They manage
concessions at Beach 86th,
Beach 97th and Beach 106th
streets with plans to transform
Beach 97th Street into a
year-round venue and extend
further east on the boardwalk.
“Vandalism has no place
in our parks, playgrounds or
beaches. This is an unfortunate
incident that could negatively
TIMESLEDGER | Q 4 NS.COM | MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2021
The Rockaway Beach Boardwalk QNS fi le photo
affect the Rockaway
community, but we’re hopeful
that the Beach 97th Street
concessions will be open by
Memorial Day weekend,” a
Parks Department spokeswoman
said. “Our new operator,
Rockaway Beach Bazaar,
is currently preparing for
the upcoming beach season
and has committed to working
with the previous food
vendors on the boardwalk to
keep much of the same great
tastes that beachgoers know
and love.”
The NYPD is investigating
the vandalism. Many of the
vendors were angry when the
contract was transferred to the
new operators because they
had seen their businesses survive
Superstorm Sandy and the
boardwalk’s reconstruction,
the 2018 closure of the beaches
by the city due to sand erosion
and last year’s COVID-19 pandemic
shutdown.
But Klein and Broudo were
able to reach agreements
with most of them, including
La Cevicheria, Beezy’s BBQ,
Boarders Surf Shop, Caracas
& Brothers, Sand Shark Bar
and Rippers.
“Rippers is thrilled to announce
we’ll be returning
to the Rockaway boardwalk
this summer,” Rippers owner
Christopher Parachini said.
“The community support,
near and far, was humbling,
inspiring and truly awesome.
Words don’t fully express the
gratitude and love we feel for
all of you. We are looking forward
now. Greasing the gears
and scrubbing the deck in anticipation
of summer ’21. We
can’t wait to see you. Rippers
forever.”
Vandals cause more than
$10K in damages to popular
boardwalk concession area
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