Gino's of Williston Park will be closing on Feb. 22. (Gino's Pizza of Williston Park / Google Maps)
WILLISTON PARK, NY — Family-run and owned Gino's Pizzeria & Ristoriante of Williston Park will be closing its doors later this month after serving its community for nearly 50 years, a member of the Speciale family said.
Frank Speciale opened Gino's in 1979 with his wife, Josephine, and children, Giovanni and Gerry. The pizzeria has been in business for 47 years and will close its doors on Feb. 22. Giovanni said they're closing shop on a high note with their heads held high– business is still thriving, but Frank is looking towards his retirement.
A photo back in time. / Courtesy of Gino's Pizza of Williston ParkThe family-owned pizza spot has been sold to Enzo's of Garden City, and thus will become Enzo's of Williston Park, and will be shut down for a few weeks during construction.
"We want to pass the torch on to a business that will continue our legacy and support this community," he said. "They were the right new owners. They will give back just as much as Frank has given back, and they said they would like to pay tribute to Frank. They're going to keep making the Sicilian, that's a staple we've been making here for 47 years."
It was more than a pizzeria— it was a community staple, a place where people gathered over a pie to talk, connect, and share slices of their lives.
Family hanging out in Gino's. / Courtesy Gino's Pizza of Williston Park
Frank and Josephine opened shop, just two blocks from their Williston Park home, a few years after moving to New York and meeting each other. Frank came to the U.S. in 1970 from a small town outside Sicily called Casteldaccia in Italy. Josephine came in 1969 and lived an hour from Frank in Italy, but they never met until they were both in Queens.
Giovanni Speciale said he and his brother have worked in the shop since they were kids, even sharing one of the many stories he's heard over the years: his brother used to take naps on the bags of flour in the 80s when they were still setting up shop.
"When I was 14, I was making pizzas, wiping tables, then stepped up to answering phones and the counter," he said. "I'd watch my father every day and mimic how he would make a pizza and learn that way."
Gino's has been a staple in the community since the late 70s. / Gino's Pizza of Williston Park
He said that although his father has taught him and his brother a lot about the pizzeria industry, it's more than that.
"It's the bond that you build with the clientele that grows here into a friendship," he said. "I don't see customers as customers. They're family."
Gino's has been serving the community for 47 years. / Courtesy Gino's Pizza of Williston Park
Ever since opening, Giovanni said his father has been giving back to the LI community, whether it's donating to sports teams or fundraisers, or just showing up when they need it– and the community showed up for them, as well.
To Giovanni and his family, the pizzeria was home. Giovanni said it will take time before he can return to the soon-to-be Enzo’s– not as the place he built, but as a customer on the other side of the counter.
In a message posted on social media, members of the Speciale family shared photos over the years and a heartfelt farewell message to their community.
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