Business

Hearing on proposed Claudio’s changes set for Thursday

Proposed changes to the Claudio’s restaurant complex at the foot of Main Street in Greenport will be the subject of a public hearing before the village Planning Board Thursday afternoon, Jan. 3. 

The meeting starts at 4 p.m. at the Third Street firehouse. 

PWIB Claudio’s Management, the company that bought the iconic Claudio’s property in March, has proposed a number of changes to the properties, which include Claudio’s Restaurant, Crabby Jerry’s and Claudio’s Clam Bar. 

The new owners, a group comprising attorney Perry Weitz and three others, have hired Stephen Loffredo and Tora Matsuoksa of Seasoned Hospitality to operate the restaurants. 

At a Planning Board meeting in November, Mr. Loffredo and Mr. Matsuoksa made a presentation highlighting some of the proposed changes, which include more outdoor seating, recreation and green spaces and making the restaurants more “family-friendly.”

They said they planned to add 114 new outdoor seats at Claudio’s and 52 at the Clam Bar. 

Mr. Loffredo said that “the idea is to energize the restaurant, which in all truth, is underperforming.” 

He said they plan to run the three restaurants as a single business, rather than three separate entities. 

Before the sale, 148-year-old Claudio’s was considered the oldest continuously run family-owned business in the country.

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