Nassau Pizzeria Expected Busy Season; Then Coronavirus Hit

LEVITTOWN, NY — Things have been "crazy"recently, according to Vinny Pulito, owner of That Pizza Place in Levittown. Between the coronavirus pandemic, statewide business shutdown and nationwide anti-police brutality protests, many would surely agree with his blunt assessment.

Pulito bought the Wantagh Avenue pizza joint in the fall of 2017. Under his ownership, the family-run pizzeria has offered traditional menu options including pies, pastas, wings, chicken cutlets and sandwiches. The joint also offers a vegan menu, including The "Vinny" — breaded eggplant, roasted peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and balsamic glaze.

"Whatever I make regular, I also try to make vegan," Pulito told Patch in a phone interview Wednesday. "It's essentially two menus in one."

Pulito's most popular pizza is his famous garlic knot pie, which appears to be backed up by countless photos posted by online food reviewers. It's his favorite, too.

"It's a really good slice," he said. "It's awesome."

Before the pandemic, business was great, he said. Lent this year began Feb. 26 and ended April 9. Many Christians head to his pizzeria on Fridays during lent because they're avoiding eating meat.

"For a pizzeria, that's our busy time," Pulito said, adding that pies are a "go-to option" for those observing the holiday.

But this year, that all changed.

Coronavirus swept across the globe, starting in Wuhan, China, spreading to Europe and eventually into the United States. Nearly 1.9 million Americans have confirmed cases of the COVID-19 disease, which is caused by the coronavirus. About 108,000 Americans have died, mainly among the elderly, those with underlying health conditions and those with weakened immune systems.

Nassau County was among the counties most affected by the disease. As of Friday, there have been nearly 41,000 confirmed cases in the county, including 987 in Levittown alone.

The rapid spread forced Gov. Andrew Cuomo in mid-March to issue a statewide stay-at-home order and ordered restaurants to shift to takeout and delivery only. The order thrust the state's economy into turmoil and ballooned Long Island's unemployment rate to 16 percent, a number not seen since the Great Depression.

In survey results published Friday, 70 percent of Long Island businesses said the effect of the pandemic was worse than they expected. Nearly half laid off workers and among those that did, 84 percent expected to layoff at least 10 more workers in the future. Furthermore, just 37 percent are bringing back all workers when the stay-at-home order is lifted for their industry and 36 percent didn't know yet if they would.

That Pizza Place tried to remain open for a short time. Pulito said his pizzeria saw a "big drop off" in sales during the first week of the shutdown, and later opted to completely shutdown for about a month. Pulito said the decision was to keep staff safe.

"It wasn't from a financial standpoint," he said. "It was basically just because we want to keep our family safe. This is a family-run business."

The pizza joint reopened for the first time about a month ago. The first weekend it reopened was "absolutely insane," Pulito said.

"People must've missed us because it was insane," he said. "The lines were crazy. I was getting messages, people preordering things."

Since the initial surge, business has tapered off. Sales have fallen about 20 percent from what he expected and he's still unable to have dine-in service. But service windows at the front of the pizzeria make it easy for hungry patrons to grab a slice to-go. Customers no longer come inside the building, but That Pizza Place was offering delivery and takeout even before the pandemic, unlike many other businesses. That made the forced transition slightly less painful.

"We're fortunate enough where it hasn't affected us as bad, but you still see a drop off in the numbers," he said.

Workers at That Pizza Place are required to wear masks now, and they practice social distancing whenever possible. Hours were also shortened slightly to be tailored to the dinner rush and weekends. Outside of those changes, it's pretty much business as usual, Pulito said. He supports the public health guidelines handed down by the government, and even requires customers to wear a mask when approaching the window. While some may not agree with the requirement, Pulito is firm on the policy.

"Even though you're outside, you're within a couple feet of each other and we have to make a transaction," he said. "So wear your mask."