Friendlier marks 50 years in Woodmere, plans Greenvale expansion
Owner Vito Vinceslao says a second location is set to open after Labor Day as his sons prepare to take over the family business.
Friendlier 76, the Italian restaurant on Woodmere's main commercial strip, is marking its 50th anniversary this year and getting ready to open a second location in Greenvale, according to the Nassau Herald. Owner Vito Vinceslao said his father, Tony Vinceslao, opened the restaurant on June 23, 1976. He said the new Long Island location is expected to open after Labor Day.
Vinceslao's three sons, Antonio, Marco and Alessio, now work in the business and are expected to eventually take it over. Antonio Vinceslao said he wants to keep the restaurant the way his father built it, telling the Herald that customers span multiple generations and that taking over a family business means being ready to work every day.
The anniversary year has included $19.76 pizza specials, discounted wine tied to the founding year, and a four day celebration in June with live music and a 19.76 percent discount. Vinceslao also explained the restaurant's name: his father wanted to call it Tony's but kept an existing sign reading Friendlier rather than pay for a new one, a name he later learned came from a previous owner's reputation for being unfriendly. David Friedman, president of the Hewlett-Woodmere Business Association, said the restaurant has become known for giving back to the community.