Upstate New York Restaurant At Center of Controversy Now Closed
The Upstate New York restaurant that became the center of a national controversy this summer over a racist Facebook comment is gone.
A new restaurant has moved in to take its place.
Taste Of Italy In Latham Has Closed. A New Restaurant Just Took Over The Space
Taste of Italy, owned by Frank and Alyssa Cappello, has closed its doors at the Shoppes at Latham Circle on Loudon Road, and a new restaurant called La Famiglia Pizza and Pasta opened in the same space on September 30th, according to the Times Union.
La Famiglia is a sibling of La Famiglia Pizza on Central Avenue in Colonie, owned by Ervin "Vini" Dalipaj, who originally opened that location with a cousin in 2009.
Dalipaj and his manager learned about the available space in mid-September through a shared food vendor, who mentioned the Cappellos were looking to exit their lease in a hurry.
They moved quickly, assuming the final two years of Taste of Italy's lease and purchasing the restaurant's furniture, fixtures, and equipment for what the manager described as "a very low price," estimated to be less than half the actual value of the contents.
"He wanted to get out, and he was in a hurry to go somewhere," Dalipaj told the Times Union.
What Happened To Taste Of Italy
Hudson Valley Post covered the Taste of Italy controversy extensively this summer.
In late June, the official Taste of Italy Facebook page posted an anti-Muslim comment in response to the drowning death of Harbe Nagi, a seven-year-old nonverbal autistic boy who went missing from Menands.
Alyssa Cappello later confirmed she wrote the comment, saying she thought she was posting from a personal account rather than the restaurant's official page.
The post triggered protests outside the restaurant, a boycott, staff walkouts, and a revenue drop of 60 percent by the Cappellos' own account.
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The couple also launched and then deleted a GoFundMe asking for donations to help the family recover, and their planned new Albany restaurant, Grazie, was abandoned after protesters showed up on its scheduled opening day.
New Restaurant Owners Say Lower Prices, Better Pizza Will Win Customers
Back at the Latham space, Dalipaj says La Famiglia's lower prices and better food will win back customers.
The large Taste of Italy sign is still on the building's exterior for now, only because Dalipaj couldn't apply for a removal permit until the lease was signed.
A La Famiglia banner has been ordered to cover it in the meantime.
"Everyone is welcome here," Dalipaj said. "And I make better pizzas than what was here, way, way better."
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