Family Feud(s) in the Restaurant/Food Biz

[weinoo]

There have been, over the years, a few family feuds in the restaurant/food biz here in NYC. For instance, the Patsy's/Grimaldi's feud is a classic in the pizza business (Ray's, too).

In the Chinese restaurant world, you really don't have to go any farther than the Grand Sichuan Int'l. chain, which keeps spawning offshoots and offshoots of offshoots.

On the upper east side, something went on in the Balducci family, creating Grace's Marketplace, Agata & Valentina and yes, Balducci's. And don't forget the Zabars.

I'm sure these types of feuds occur outside of New York as well. I'm looking to name a few.

[nikkib]

Hassouni mentioned one in his recent travelblog on beirut - The sahyoun brothers in lebanon who together ran a falafel stall called sahyoun(the best in beirut according to many)had a huge falling out only for one brother to leave and buy the stall next door opening up yes, you guessed it a falafel stall called Sahyoun! http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Local-News/2012/Feb-02/161877-sahyoun-brothers-chose-falafel-over-family.ashx#axzz1p0N2RWNB has more details...

[Hassouni]

Mitch, two of those rancid jumbo slice pizza places in Adams Morgan are also run by fallen-out brothers. But who cares about them. My heart is with Sahyoun!

[weinoo]

Mitch, two of those rancid jumbo slice pizza places in Adams Morgan are also run by fallen-out brothers. But who cares about them. My heart is with Sahyoun!

Not too surprising - it seems to happen a lot with pizza! Are they on 18th Street?

[Hassouni]

Yeah, right in the heart of the drunken zoo. There are I think 3 places, one is Boli's, and the others are Jumbo Slice and Pizza Mart, or something like that - the last two are the feuders.

Honestly though, even drunk they're pretty awful..

[SylviaLovegren]

Right across the river from you in Hoboken. The Italian bread bakeries are (mostly) all offshoots from one family, warring siblings, who each decided THEY should be the one to carry on the family business after the parents were gone.

[HungryC]

The Randazzo's family of king cake & sweets bakeries come to mind: http://blog.nola.com/tpmoney/2008/12/divorce_sours_randazzo_family_1.html

In addition to the branches mentioned in the linked news story, at least two other family members operate bakeries under the family surname.

[johannafin]

We recently had this happen here in Asheville, NC. Son runs a restaurant in dad's building. Son wants to break away from dad. Dad finds out in a newspaper article that son is opening a new restaurant. Son's employees go to open up the day after the article appears in the newspaper to find out dad has locked them out of the building!

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012302290042

Johanna

[Beebs]

There was a husband & wife thing here several years back. Husband & wife ran a small napolitan pizzeria (it was very good), did good business. Wife found out husband had been carrying on with another woman. Kicked him to the curb, she kept the pizzeria. Few months later, he opened up another pizzeria a few blocks down the street.

Ouch!

[teapot]

Two examples come to mind in Seattle - both involving married/divorced couples. Ezells Fried Chicken got into an ugly situation. There were actually signs posted in one of the stores complaining that the ex-wie and brother-in-law were stealing the business but that God was on his side.

I also remember an exceedingly awkward lunch at a Sengalese restaurant where the hostess was divorcing the chef. Both would come to our table and complain loudly about the other. Great food but I never went back.

[IndyRob]

Lafayette and American Coney Islands in Detroit. And they're right next to each other.

Although I sometimes suspect that this was an expansion plan with a publicity twist. But I've never heard anyone else suggest that.

[bmdaniel]

Avila's in Dallas had quite the family saga a couple years back

http://sidedish.dmagazine.com/2010/02/19/soap-opera-update-avila’s-mexican-restaurant-on-maple-in-dallas/

[Toliver]

It's the same here. Supposedly, Rosa's Italian and Joseph's Italian are related by family. Rumor has it they disagreed over the recipe for their red sauce so they each started their own restaurant. There's supposed to be a third restaurant across town started by yet another family member(Sorrento's?). Each restaurant has its own following.

In San Diego, there are the ubiquitous small mexican restaurants called Roberto's, Alberto's, Royberto's, Hilberto's, et al, which may have started through a family split but now it's more likely they're just trying to capitalize on the similar sounding name. I believe Roberto's was the original. I think it even started in an old Fotomat drive-thru kiosk.

edited to correct my misteak

Edited March 14, 2012 by Toliver (log)

[Norm Matthews]

I suppose it isn't as interesting when it happens out here in the hinterland but a locally famous restaurant called the Calico inn had a family fall out and a second one opened down the highway called Calico Too. There is a plaque on the original restaurant beside the front door. It says

"On this spot, April 17, 1889, nothing happened"

[Slamdunkpro]

Surprised no one has mentioned Interstate BBQ & Neely's.

[jsmeeker]

In Lockhart, Texas, there is Smitty's/Kruez

[pogophiles]

IIRC, the Brennan family in New Orleans split up a long time ago, with one side taking Brennan's and the other side taking Commander's Palace, among others...

[rgruby]

In the news in Toronto today: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1163799--cousins-wage-a-cold-war-in-kensington-market

I shop at both.

Cheers,

Geoff