Defunct Williston Park restaurant Willy Parkers American Bar and Grill is about to be revived under new ownership with a distinct Spanish flavor.
Jose Fernandez said he had his brother, Rosendo Fernandez Jr., closed on buying the restaurant from native Williston Park brothers Louis and Reno DiMaria in late June.
Fernandez said he and his brother intend to transform Willy Parkers into a family-style paella restaurant offering Spanish cuisine in late August or early September at the 71 Hillside Ave. location in Williston Park.
“We think there’s a need for it in this area. There are very few authentic Spanish restaurants on Long Island,” Fernandez said this week.
In late Febuary, Louis DiMaria said the brothers sold the restaurant’s equipment and transferred the 20-year lease to an experienced restaurateur he declined to identify at the time. DiMaria, who along with his brother graduated Herricks High School, said financial losses sustained in the wake of Hurricane Sandy were a major factor in the decision.
Fernandez said he and his brother have “vast” experience in the restaurant business, from working in the kitchen to marketing.
He said the two started assisting their father, Rosendo Fernandez Sr., in the kitchen when he became head chef at El Rincon De Espana Restaurant in Greenwich Village after their father migrated to the U.S. from Spain in 1966.
The elder brother, Rosendo, has been in the restaurant business for 23 years, working his way up from bus boy to Manhattan restaurateur, his younger brother said. He currently owns three restaurants, two named Cafe Espanol and a third named Bamboleo Restaurant.
The first Cafe Espanol on Bleecker Street was opened in 1976. The brothers opened the second one, on Carmine Street, together in the late 1990s, Fernandez said. Rosendo opened Bamboleo in early 2000. They’ve also created “Paella To Go NYC” for New York City Street festivals, including the Feast of San Gennaro.
Willy Parkers – a word play on Williston Park – had seen a succession of unsuccessful eateries prior to the DiMaria’s venture. DiMaria has said he thought the business was hurt by a common perception among local residents that the prior owner, who operated under the same name, was still involved with the restaurant.
The former owner, he said, had left some bad feelings among Williston Park residents before closing the restaurant.
“A lot of people didn’t believe the old owner wasn’t involved,” DiMaria said.
DiMaria was unavailable for comment on the transaction.
“My heart went out to those guys,” said Fernandez.
Fernandez, who declined to disclose the restaurant’s sales price, said he and his brother are currently awaiting a kitchen inspection by the county fire marshal’s office. He said they are also awaiting a liquor license.
“We don’t anticipate any problems,” he said.
In the wake of the restaurant’s February closure, Fernandez said it is in “turnkey condition.” He said he and his brother planned to redecorate the restaurant and give it “an authentic Mediterranean look.”
The brothers, he said, would also change the sports bar theme in the bar, where they planned on serving tapas. He said they have not yet chosen a new name for the restaurant.
“This is a great location. There’s no reason a restaurant shouldn’t work here,” Fernandez said.
He said he thinks the restaurant’s past problems resulted from a lack of attention from the owners.
“You have to be here. You have to be passionate,” Fernandez said.
The DiMarias had been frustrated last May by an unsuccessful application to the village board to create an outdoor dining area in the rear of the Hillside Avenue eatery.
Neighbors of the restaurant had raised objections to noise from the outdoor area they said would disturb them during its projected evening hours of operation. At the time, the DiMarias said the outdoor dining space would provide a needed boost to their business.
The DiMaria brothers currently operate a pizzeria in Roslyn on Northern Boulevard. In February, DiMaria said they were working on plans for “concept” pizzerias in Manhattan.
