Prince Street Pizza Owners Step Down After Racist Comments

HOLLYWOOD, CA — The owners of Prince Street Pizza have stepped down from their day-to-day responsibilities after racist comments from Frank and Dominic Morano surfaced from journalist Joe Rosenthal. The Morano's had been seen on Yelp calling an Asian reviewer a "mongrel" and "yellow dog," while Frank Morano told another reviewer to "s*** in a hat" after the writer said he experienced prejudice at the New York location.

Since-deleted Facebook posts from Dominic Morano also show him posting a video of a driver running into Black Lives Matter protesters in 2016, writing "why did BLM and other protesters Cross the Road? to get run over by angry drivers."

Additionally, the store also admitted to posting a Blue Lives Matter flag in their window, which they said they removed in 2016 after learning the "double meaning it holds." However, Instagram posts as recent as 2019 show the New York storefront with the sticker still clearly visible.

The store released a lengthy statement which included apologies from both owners on January 8.

“There is nothing okay about the comments I made on Yelp,” Frank Morano said. “I take full responsibility and wholeheartedly apologize to our customers, especially our Asian community. All of our customers are family to us, and you deserve so much better. I am stepping down because it’s the right thing to do.”

According to Eater, the Morano's will remain in control of the company.

“Making light of violence is indefensible,” said Dominic Morano. “I apologize from the bottom of my heart. The horror the world has witnessed in unwarranted and unjust deaths of black men and women killed in recent years has been heartbreaking. And me making light of what is happening was and is wrong.”

As backlash spread, Prince Street Pizza Los Angeles released a statement distancing themselves from the owners and saying the leadership changes would have "no impact" on the L.A. store.

"The controversial events that became public in the last week about the New York store do not reflect the views, values, or beliefs of Prince Street Pizza L.A.," the store said. "The events that were uncovered last week involved incidents from well before the LA store was in business, and the leadership changes in the New York store will have no impact on the operation of the Los Angeles store.