Merrick
News Feed
Events
Local Businesses
Classifieds
Community Corner

🌱 Patch AM: What Island Empanada’s closures mean for the Merrick location

Spotted on the Merrick calendar: ✨LIVE MUSIC TONIGHT✨

Thursday October 1st Patch AM (Patch graphic)

Hello again Merrick! We're bringing you the latest town highlights. Don't miss out, keep going! ☕️️

In today's newsletter:

  • What Island Empanada's closures mean for the Merrick location

Also on today's calendar: Vendor and Craft Harvest Fair and 9 more events.

Today's riddle: What do you call a belt that is made of watches? 🤔 (Answer below!)

Weather forecast:

  • Thursday: Mainly cloudy and humid, with a high of 71 and low of 66 degrees.
  • Friday: Humid with clouds and sun, temps: high: 78, low: 61.
  • Saturday: Mostly cloudy and less humid, with a high of 71 and low of 56 degrees.

📰 News we're reading

• Island Empanada closes Rocky Point and Shirley stores as costs climb (greaterlongisland.com) — Island Empanada has closed its Rocky Point and Shirley locations, but the Merrick shop remains one of four surviving restaurants as the chain shrinks under rising costs and tighter customer spending. Founder Roy Pelaez says competition and higher expenses forced the cuts, yet he insists the Merrick, Commack, Medford, and Ronkonkoma stores are still performing well after selling millions of empanadas since 2011.
   

📸 Around Merrick

Subscribe

Show off your photography skills and the sights around town! Click here to submit your Photo of the Day to Patch AM!

🗓 Upcoming Events in Merrick

Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!

★ Featured events ★

Want to see your event featured? Click here!

Other local events

📣 Merrick Shout Outs!

Want to say something great about someone in town? Click here to submit your Shout Out to Patch AM! It's free!

Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.

 

Thank you 👏👏👏 to these businesses for making Merrick PatchAM possible:

Click here to show your appreciation! 💚

Want to see your business here? Click here to connect with local customers.

💬 Chatter

What your neighbors are talking about on social media

  • Doherty Enterprises, Inc. posted a job opening for Dishwasher in Bellmore. Apply here.
  • Burlington Coat Factory posted a job opening for Customer Service Lead - Part Time in Freeport. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Merrick here.

🗞 Nearby News

Bellmore

  • Nassau HS football roundup from weather-delayed Week 3 games (newsday.com)
  • Best School Districts In Nassau County Ranked In New 2027 Study (patch.com)
  • Vitolo Sorrentino Italian Supper Club opening in Garden City South's former ITA Kitchen (newsday.com)

Freeport

Wantagh

  • Owner & Head Chef of Celebrity Hangout NYC Italian Eatery to Open Long Island Restaurant (longisland.com)
  • Old friends Molloy U., Hempstead LDC team up again (innovateli.com)

Ok Merrick! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!

-- The Patch AM Team

P.S. The answer to today's riddle: A waist of time. (Thank you Martin L. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!

👉 Help make Patch AM better

We use a combination of real people and machines to tell you what's happening around town. Learn more about Patch AM.

Share to NextDoor     Share to Facebook

More from Merrick
News | Sep 16
News | Sep 9
News | Sep 3
See more on Patch >

Sign up for free local newsletters and alerts for the
Merrick Patch

Patch.com is the nationwide leader in hyperlocal news.
Visit Patch.com to find your town today.

©2026 Patch Media. All Rights Reserved

Do Not Sell My Personal Information