Owner of Greenport's Claudio's Says Despite 'Delays,' Sale May Be Done Deal By Fall

GREENPORT, NY — Those who've made Claudio's a longtime tradition in Greenport will have one more summer to enjoy sharing delicious meals and memories with the Claudio family.

Owner Bill Claudio told Patch Friday that despite talks of a sale of the iconic eatery for months, it's not yet a done deal.

Although the hope was to finalize the sale before the season, delays were encountered, Claudio said.

"We were pushing ahead to the end but we didn't quite make it," Claudio said, of the ongoing negotiations.

When it came time for the properties, including Claudio's Restaurant, Claudio's Clam Bar and Crabby Jerry's to kick off the season in Greenport, the Claudios made the decision to "go ahead and open."

Responding to some rumors around the village that the sale might have fallen through, Claudio said that talk was categorically "untrue."

The same potential buyer, Michael Barrett, owner of the former China Club in New York City and other clubs and restaurants, is still "very interested," Claudio said. He added that Barrett is expected out in Greenport this weekend.

"Hopefully, we'll close in the fall," Claudio said.

The beloved Greenport business, now in its 146th year, is the oldest single-family run restaurant in the country.

The property has been on the market since 2015. “Whether you have heard the news around the North Fork or not, our property is in fact on the market,” a post on the Claudio’s Restaurant Facebook page read at the time it was first listed.