October 13th, 2020
10:00AM
Ever since I was a couple months old till now, I’ve resided in Fresh Meadows. For 25 years of my life I’ve been a local. I attended PS 26, PS 173, and MS 216. It wasn’t until high school, in which I always found myself commuting back and forth to the city.
Back then, to get to school, I would always be walking down a couple blocks from 64th Ave. This combined with that fact that my parents would always lecture me to eat at home when in the area to save money made me not walk down Horace Harding Expressway as often. That didn’t mean I wasn’t aware of all the local businesses in my neighborhood though. There was Bagel Oasis, Tokyo Hibachi, Fresh Meadows Halal Meat & Grocery, and of course Brother’s Pizzeria.
As much of a foodie and advocate of the community that I was, I can’t believe I had never set foot in there. During my infrequent walks down Horace Harding, my nose would catch the aroma of tomato sauce and shredded cheese over a freshly risen circular piece of dough. Or maybe it was the garlic knots baking together on a baking tray. Not entirely sure, but it always got me hungry.
It was until mid October of 2020 in which I decided to step in to speak to the owner. When taking the Q17 bus back from Flushing, I got off a stop early to walk by it. Stepping in, I saw 2 adolescents waiting for their order. The stools were blocked off, there were social distancing signs hanging from the ceiling, and there were sneeze guards surrounding the counter. Behind the sneeze guards were 3 individuals on pizza duty. I asked to speak to the owner and a man pointed to someone unloading a fresh pizza out the built-in oven that they had. Considerate of his time, I briefly debriefed him on who I was and how I wanted to help (with this blog post). He told me to come back 2 days later in the morning when he opens shop. This way we could chat while he prepares for the day. It was just around the block for me, so it would be not a problem. His name was Dennis Koines. We said our farewells, and I walked back home.
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I stepped out my door and it was a little chilly with a really faint drizzle. Cloudy and gray. Walking into the pizzeria was a comforting feeling, especially given the weather. Brother’s Pizzeria has a certain charm about it. From the stools, to the menu, to that built-in pizza oven, it all felt right. Dennis was by himself behind the counter finishing up a tray of garlic knots. There were 2 other trays that were already done next to it. He also had his mask on. I could tell he took the safety of him and his customers seriously.
I sat myself down, placing my laptop on the counter and proceeded to start picking his brain.
Brother’s Pizzeria is a Fresh Meadows, Queens staple. It’s a local business, a mom and pop shop that’s been opened since April of 1963. Dennis actually isn’t the owner of this restaurant. The original owner’s children didn’t want anything to do with the pizzeria, so Dennis purchased it in 2010. There’s actually a couple other locations spread out in the tri-state area that started from the original owner’s siblings. Some include Brooklyn, Long Island, and New Jersey.
Dennis is just like me. He grew up in Fresh Meadows and went to school in the area - St. Kevin’s and St. Francis Prep. The moment he started working at Brother’s Pizzeria doing delivery was actually the first day he received his driver’s license back in 1998. Talk about being excited for work.
Unlike me however, Dennis grew up having their pizza. This was the place that his mother took him since he was just a baby in a stroller. And now he’s a full grown adult who owns the establishment.
“This was my pizzeria growing up. I remember those Friday nights with family here at 8:00pm. When April came around, that meant that Italian ices were available. A slice and an ice. I remember being excited about those since they didn’t have them all year round. Now people would come here and nothing would have changed for like 40 years, only some slight oven changes and fixes.”
“Who are some of your most frequent customers?”
“99% of the people that walk in the door.”
Oh, there was also a maintenance/handyman who was fixing up something below the counter. That’s when he chimed in that he loved the pizza here. He’s also been coming here his whole life. He even has Celiac, causing the body to negatively react to the consumption of gluten, and he still comes here for a slice.
“Our locals are important to us. Relationships with customers are so important. If someone forgets to bring money, it would be okay to pay later. It’s important to ask people, ‘How’s your mother doing?’ & ‘I heard your sister wasn’t doing too well.’ It’s personal with a fine line between it. That’s the relationship we have with people. We can’t take that stuff for granted.”
Before COVID-19, the pizzeria was open 7 days a week from 11am-10pm. Now they’re closed on Mondays and closes an hour earlier at 9pm. Back in April and May, when it was worse, it closed at 8pm. Since it was located in a prime location for a couple of nearby schools, it was depended on a lot of the students. He also added in an interesting insight - something that always kept the business rolling would be the individuals driving alongside the Long Island Expressway. It ranged from between lunch and dinner, from people that may want a single slice for themselves to those who would want to purchase a pie back home. No one stops by anymore since most companies have a work from home policy.
Fun fact. This is actually Alec Baldwin’s favorite pizzeria! It’s a common place for him to stop by when stopping for food when going home from JFK Airport.
Now that winter is approaching, they’re going to continue to play it by the city guidelines. Even though it’s overwhelming and frustrating, it needs to be done to ensure that people stay safe.
“The whole operation is changing now. All these years, you’re doing everything you can to get people to come in and get a slice and some soda. Now you have to kindly tell them to leave after a while. Some people get offended unfortunately, but we try to play by the city’s rules. We’re doing whatever we can to keep it together. And we understand that that’s the entire city as a whole.”
Dennis is also now married with a son who’s less than 2 months old. With COVID, there was a next element of anxiety that he wasn’t expecting – “You don’t realize how much you want to be home until you have something you miss at home.”
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After our conversation, I proceeded to snap some shots of the place. I actually noticed that last week, they were doing some sort of signage installation outside. It turns out that they actually have replaced the sign that I’ve been seeing my whole life with something a little more modern. Luckily sanitation hasn’t swung by yet to pick it up, so we went over to the back so I can take some pictures. He figured it was time for a newer sign especially since the lettering for the old one was falling off.
Around 11:00 AM, a customer strolled in for a slice. It was a regular. I knew because Dennis was asking how he and his family were doing. A little after, as they were setting up their outdoor seating, a member of the community (also a regular) lent a hand. It was clear that this pizzeria was for the community and wouldn’t be here without the community.
I thanked Dennis for his time and told him that I’d be back a little later for lunch. And so a couple hours later, I came back for a slice and coke combo. It didn’t get anymore classic than that. And I also brought a friend who lived in the neighborhood too. Word of mouth marketing is the best after-all, and why not use the time playing catch-up with a friend!
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We’re always raving about going to a new place in the city. It’s most likely something that’s trending or have dishes that are Instagrammable. You’ll be helping those business owners survive during these times, which is great!
BUT don’t forget about the mom and pops in YOUR neighborhood. These are the businesses that have grown alongside you. Stop by for a meal. Say hi. Let’s help them keep the essence of what hospitality is alive.
Brother’s Pizzeria
185-04 Horace Harding Expy, Flushing, NY 11365
Open 11:00AM - 9:00PM Tuesday - Sunday | Closed Monday