By Nick Buglione
The eatery is quiet, filled only with the chatter of a handful of diners and workers clanging about in the kitchen, when a man in a maroon shirt and glasses pushes his way through the door. "Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help me," said the man, distress and frustration evident in his voice. "I'm lost."
He was looking for Runyon's Roadside Tavern, a restaurant due east of Borrelli's, the expression on his face making it easy to discern that he was late for something. "Make a right out of the parking lot," said Borrelli as he began detailing the directions in a steady, reassuring tone. "It's across from the hospital."
With a quick thank you, the man bolted out the door and toward his car, ending their brief encounter.
For the last half century, Borrelli's Restaurant has been more than a place where people have gone to eat Italian food. It's been a place where men and women have fallen in love, where needy families have enjoyed free holiday meals -- and where lost strangers have found a friendly face to guide them on their way.
The oldest family-owned restaurant in the community, Borrelli's is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month. On Oct. 4, 1955, Borrelli's immigrant father and two uncles signed a contract to rent the building at 1580 Hempstead Turnpike, turning a former burger joint into an Italian restaurant. East Meadow was quite different then. "The Meadowbrook Parkway wasn't built yet," Borrelli said. "It was all potato farms."
They had no way of knowing at the time that they were giving birth to an East Meadow institution. Though they struggled in the beginning, after three years the brothers scrapped together enough money to buy the building. "One was the pizza man, one was the cook and one was the waiter," Borrelli said.
It was while waiting tables that Borrelli's father met his mother. "She came in as a customer, a friend of someone, and my father was their waiter," Borrelli said. The two married and settled in East Meadow, where they raised Frank and sisters Angela and Lisa.
When most of his friends had paper routes, Frank was working for his father at the restaurant. At 10, he knew that he wanted to take over the family business some day.
It was at the restaurant that Borrelli also met his future wife, Beth. "We were 19 and both working here," said Borrelli. The two just celebrated their 24th anniversary.
In the years since it opened, Borrelli's has seen East Meadow transform from a rural to a suburban community. It has seen dirt roads paved and the Coliseum erected just west on Hempstead Turnpike, which certainly wasn't bad for business. Borrelli's, too, has changed, expanding to hold some 200 diners where it could once only accommodate 20.
Borrelli, his wife and sisters, Angela Carbarno and Lisa Savino, have since taken the reins, carrying on in the tradition of his father and uncles, who have retired to Florida.
The business remains very much a family affair, with nine of the 40 employees members of the Borrelli family. "It's family-oriented," said Borrelli, father of Kristin, 22, Jenna, 19, and Frank, 12. "The staff gets their family and friends to work here."
Borrelli hopes that someone in the family's next generation will eagerly take over the business, as he did. "I hope we'll still be carrying on the name and tradition," he said. "As long as someone in the family is willing to do it, we'd like to be around for another 50 years."
Since its humble beginnings, Borrelli's has built a long resume of community activism and service that continues today. The restaurant has been a sponsor of the East Meadow Little League since the league was founded. "This community has always been able to count on the Borrelli family," said Alan Hodish, a member of East Meadow Kiwanis.
Borrelli's has opened its doors every Christmas for the last 10 years to scores of needy families, offering free meals and presents for the kids. "It's a great reward to see the smiles on people's faces," Borrelli said. "It's great to be able to give back, if you can do it."
The Borrelli family also co-sponsors an annual golf outing that benefits Long Island Coma Recovery, and donates food for myriad other fund-raisers. "The Borrellis are the unsung heroes of this community," said Alan Beinhacker, also of East Meadow Kiwanis. "They have done so much over the past 50 years people don't even realize. They are a giving family that never looks for anything in return. They're wonderful people, and East Meadow is lucky to have them."
Comments about this story? NBuglione@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 236.
