Frank's Trattoria Under New Ownership

Though Frank's Trattoria has had red Health Department placards announcing its embargoed status on its door since Dec. 29, when the eatery was ordered to close for health code violations, passersby may have noticed activity within in the past few weeks. That's because two new owners purchased the restaurant and have been making changes to the space.

However, they failed to inform the Village that they had bought the property and were working without a use permit, according to Health Officer John Festa, who spoke about the status of Frank's at a Board of Trustee budget workshop on Tuesday. "They basically bought Frank's problems," he said.

Though interior renovations had been embarked upon, a stop-work order has since been issued, and the new plans will be subject to a planning review—the purview of the Code Enforcement/Building department. Meanwhile, the health code violations have to be addressed, and Festa said he'll require a sign-off letter from an exterminator licensed by the state Department of Environmental Protection to confirm that the rodest infestation has been fully addressed. He'll also require the new owners to have a licensed lab conduct swab testing to ensure there's no residual fecal matter in areas where mouse droppings were previously found, including stainless steel food trays and a sink.

Meanwhile, Frank's former owner, Frank Elnashar, was a no-show at Orange municipal court on Thursday, where the matter of the eight summonses issued against him was to be heard, according to Festa. (The case was moved to Orange because of a conflict in South Orange municipal court.) A $1,000 bench warrant has been issued for his arrest, though Festa noted at the budget workshop that he's believed to have left the country.