One Year Later Anthony Joseph's Opens

One year after initiating the procedure to open a restaurant in the former Fatty Beltbuckles space, Anthony Joseph’s restaurant has finally opened for business.

It was nine months ago when announcing the new venture at the Crossroads shopping center on Route 25A. Owner Anthony Galano had hoped to get the green light to open for business on Feb. 1.

“There were a lot of hoops to jump through,” Galano said of the delay. “Whenever you open a new place there’s permits and regulations that have to be met. It’s not a quick process.”

Galano said that the cost of paying the lease for an unopened venture was difficult, but there isn’t anything that can be done. He said the landlord covered the first few months and that he hopes to recoup some of the losses now that he can serve customers.

For Galano, it’s his first full-service restaurant. He worked 21 years in New York City Transit and filled in at delis and restaurants during his spare time. Food service became his passion, a step he first took when he opened Galano’s Deli in Coram in 2009. From there, it was only one more step to open the restaurant he always wanted.

The food is Italian style with family favorite comfort dishes mixed in. Family is a theme that Galano wants to incorporate into the restaurant. The live entertainment will be predominantly swing music and other genres that appeal to the 40 and over crowd.

Galano picked out the live entertainment, to be featured Thursday through Saturday night, based on the music he wanted to hear. It’s also targeted for a demographic he feels is underrepresented in the area.

“There aren’t many places for people my age to go to,” Galano said. “It’s a nice, respectable crowd to have to deal with. The kids love it too.”

The first real test will be New Year’s Eve. Galano is making an event out of the night, bringing in a singer and a comedian.

“We need to have a following,” he said of what will make that event successful. “We need to get that name recognition. If we do well New Year’s Eve, then there’s no doubt that we’ll be successful.”

As for the future, in keeping with the family theme Galano’s goal is to retire one day and pass the restaurant down to his daughter Michelle, who currently works as a manager at Anthony Joseph’s.