34 THE QUEENS COURIER • LIVING IN HOWARD BEACH • MAY 17, 2018 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
living in howard beach
Romeo’s Pizzeria serving up something special
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com / @jenna_bagcal
When you walk into Romeo’s Pizzeria
in Ozone Park, you’re greeted with a glass
display of some of the restaurant’s most
popular slices, including Grandma and
spinach and cream pizzas.
On the opposite side is a wall of newspaper
clippings, photos of celebrities the
owners have met and a poster of Italian
proverbs with sayings like “Friendship
and macaroni are best when warm” and
“Who eats well, lives well.”
Hundreds of people eat well every day
at Romeo’s, which has been serving the
community at 103-20 Liberty Ave. in
Ozone Park since 1984. Romeo’s owner,
Donny Salerno, said that the restaurant is
ideally situated near the A train and the
nearby John Adams High School, which
both provide a good deal of foot traffi c.
Salerno said that John Adams students
are some of his best customers. Recently,
he said that he has noticed many new
faces frequenting the restaurant and also
mentioned a lot of the longtime customers
whom he recognized have since
moved away.
Th e Howard Beach resident took over
the family business from his father Jerry in
2013, though he said he been around the
restaurant “since birth.” Th e third-generation
owner of Romeo’s said that the history
of the restaurant dates back to Italy,
where his great grandfather started making
pizza in Naples. His father and grandfather
came to the United States in the
1970s, and opened their Liberty Avenue
location a decade later.
Since taking over, Salerno said business
has gone up “a lot” thanks in part
to his eff orts to “modernize the place.”
He said that the only changes he made
to the business were aesthetic, including
new bathrooms, signs and counters.
Despite the changes, Salerno said the
food served remains unchanged, using
the “same ingredients” in his family’s
original recipe.
Salerno speaks passionately about
Romeo’s and is sentimental about the
business. Th ough his uncles and cousins
have all owned or worked at Romeo’s
in other locations, he’s one of the only
ones in his family who still runs the family
owned restaurant.
“Romeo’s has been in the family for
years. I gotta keep it going,” he said.
Aside from selling pizzas, the restaurant
owner also values giving back to the community,
which is something he learned
from his father and wanted to carry on
in the present. Included on the decorated
walls are plaques which recognize the
donations and support that the Salernos
have given to the Ozone Howard Little
League, which Salerno was part of as a
child in the late 1990s.
“I donate where I can. What you put
in, you give it back; that’s what it comes
down to,” said Salerno, who also mentioned
that he donates to a local men’s
soft ball league.
In the future, Salerno said that he has
plans to “redo the place” and his goal is to
open up a second location of the restaurant.
“We’re not going anywhere,” Salerno
said.
Howard Beach Fun Facts
Population: 28,247
Median Age: 45.0
Total Households: 10,477
Average Household Size: 2.69
Median Household Income: $68,531
Poverty rate: 9.1%
Total Housing Units: 11,481
Average Home Value: 46.7% homes
between $500,000 and $999,999
Average Rent: 41.1% residences
between $1,500 and $1,999/month
Police: 106th Precinct
School District: 27
Member of Congress: Hakeem Jeff ries
(8th District)
State Senator: Joe Addabbo (15th
District)
Assembly Member: Stacey Pheff er
Amato (23rd District)
City Council Member: Eric Ulrich
(32nd District)
Based on the 2012-2016 American
Community Survey, via NYC Population
Fact Finder
Photos by Jenna Bagcal/THE COURIER
Donny Salerno is the third-generation owner of Romeo’s Pizzeria in Ozone Park
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