Borrelli’s gets a boost from Barstool

Media group launches its own Covid-19 relief fund

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Frank Borrelli wasn’t sure if his restaurant would be able to survive the next three months — typically his busiest.

Borrelli’s Italian Restaurant, in East Meadow, had already taken a hit during the coronavirus pandemic, mainly due to the lack of customers coming from events at the Nassau Coliseum. The situation only grew bleaker over the past month, after Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered a 10 p.m. curfew for bars, gyms and restaurants.

Borrelli said he was considering closing for the winter, though he hadn’t made any definitive plans or told his staff. “I just didn’t think I’d make it through,” he said.

Little did he know that his financial challenges had come to the attention of Dave Portnoy, founder of the digital media company Barstool Sports. Portnoy recently launched his own Covid-19 relief fund to help small businesses that are struggling to stay open. In a video on his Twitter page, he announced that Borrelli’s would be the first to benefit.

Portnoy explained that he saw little to no help coming from the federal or state government to New York businesses that had to continue adapting to new coronavirus restrictions. “These people aren’t going out of business because they’re not successful or not making money, it’s because they have no other choice,” he said. “They’ve been dealt a hand that nobody could play.”

Borrelli’s son, Frankie, has been working at Barstool Sports for the past four years. Fans of the brand might recognize Borrelli as one of the faces in a pizza-reviewing comedy segment called “One Bite.” He is also a producer of Barstool’s SiriusXM radio show, chats on the media group’s golf podcast and is the drummer in its parody band Pup Punk.

Throughout the pandemic, he had been updating Portnoy on his family life and the toll the pandemic has taken on his father’s business. From April to June, Borrelli’s had been raising funds to stay open and feed first responders. It donated roughly 4,000 meals to health care and emergency service workers across Long Island.

Borrelli opened the restaurant’s dining area again on June 24, seating 40 people in its back room and 40 in its main room. Typically, Borrelli’s can accommodate 180 diners. With an additional 40 seats in its new outdoor dining area, the restaurant is able to operate at two-thirds capacity. But the outdoor area is getting less use now, because it’s uncovered and offers no protection from the elements. And as Covid-19 cases have spread, Borrelli’s saw fewer costumers dining inside as well. 

“But Barstool went viral with what it was doing, and the support was overwhelming,” Borrelli said. Portnoy introduced the fund in a tweet last Thursday and, over the weekend, Borrelli’s saw a line down Hempstead Turnpike for pick-up orders.

Portnoy seeded the program with $500,000, and is crowd-funding to expand it. In less than a week, the funding has tripled. Dubbed the Barstool Fund, the program is open to businesses across the country, and Portnoy plans to support them by covering the expenses they need to pay to stay open. The only qualifier is that they continue to pay their employees.

Borrelli’s, Portnoy said, is “the perfect example of the type of business that we’re trying to save.” In addition to keeping all of his employees paid throughout the pandemic, Borrelli has been helping his community. Last Sunday he joined the East Meadow Kiwanis Club for a drive-through toy drive, and cooked Italian dinners for the roughly 80 families it was benefiting.

Borrelli’s is also kicking off a partnership with the Mary Brennan Interfaith Nutrition Network, raising funds to donate food to the Hempstead-based food and supplies pantry.

“People have been supporting us more ever since the news came out,” Borrelli said. “With Barstool helping us out, this is going to be a tremendous boost for us.”

Portnoy posted another video to his Twitter feed revealing Borrelli’s initial reaction to the introduction of the Barstool Fund. “I was planning on closing,” Borrelli said through choked-back tears. “This is going to help so much . . . thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Small businesses that would like to be considered for the Bartsool Sports fund can send messages with their stories to barstoolfund@barstoolsports.com. Barstool T-shirt, which support Borrelli’s and the fund, can be purchased at https://store.barstoolsports.com/products/borrellis-tee