The King's Bay YM-YWHA and Trump Village West - Community Carnival, May 19, 2013

Chipp Neapolitan Pizza Puts Business Up For Sale!


by on Jun 21st, 2011

Chipp Neapolitan Pizza (2971 Ocean Avenue) is up for sale just seven months after it opened, courtesy of a dispute between the owners that made offloading the property a priority.

The pizzeria, which specializes in cooking thin-crust pizza in a wood-fired oven at 800 degrees in just 90 seconds, turned up on Craigslist not too long ago with an asking price of $189,000, stating an “Owner’s Disagreement is your gain.”

We checked in with Rus Gor, one of the owners, who confirmed that it was on the chopping block – but not at that price. They’re asking for $250,000, which includes a 10-year lease, equipment and furniture. The Craigslist ad has since been removed.

Chipp first gained notoriety through its other owner, former The Apprentice contestant Lenny “The Russian” Veltman. When they first opened, Veltman boasted it would be the first in what he hoped to be an empire of classed-up pizza joints across the nation. Oh, and let’s not forget the trash-talking.

“Grimaldi’s is crap. DiFara awful. Totonno’s garbage,” Veltman told Sheepshead Bites after they opened. “You can’t cook pizza using coal. It burns too hot and dries out the ingredients.”

Gor was mum about the nature of the disagreement with Veltman, but did say that it hadn’t hurt the friendship between them. He did emphasize, though, that the business isn’t going anywhere soon, and they’ll continue to vend their 90-second pies for as long as it takes.

“We’re not closed yet,” Gor said. “We’re still working. We’re still optimistic. We hope it’s going to go up.”

Here’s a screenshot of the Craigslist ad before it was removed:

 

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  • Anonymous

    That didn’t take long……

    btw, i didn’t like his over priced food. /gag

  • Anonymous

    That’s karma biting them in the ass for tash talking about DiFara. Their is a reason why the old man is in business for so long. I wish him another 100 years of health and success.

    • Barkingspider7

      Faba – you are soooo right about everything you just said.

      • Anonymous

        I Second this Notion.

        Random Note: Did people say the same thing about Fuel when it opened up?

  • Barkingspider7

    KNEW IT!!!

  • Truth

    Can’t say that I am happy that a business has failed but it’s not a total surprised. 

    I went there once and shared a pizza with my wife. The pizza was okay, the price was a bit much as far as pizza’s are concerned and the decor was interesting.  Here is the biggest problem, the place is not really a pizzeria, it’s a resaurant that serves pizza.  The location for this kind of venture was completely wrong.  If it was on Sheepshead Bay Rd or on Emmans avenue where people go for sit down dinners in a nice atmosphere it might have succeed and the price they charged would have been reasonable   But it was on Ocean Avenue in front of a bus stop.  The only foot traffic there is people going about their errands, not people looking for a place to have a meal.  This is a good location for a pizzeria that does take out and sells slices, this place only did full pies.  Also, I went there the first week they opened and the service was already not what it should have been.  It wasn’t bad, but the owner and service lady showed no attempt at friendliness.  I mean come on, you just opened, tap dance for me or something.  Which brings to mind great business idea, a school that teaches Russian service staff how to behave.  Oh well, sorry for their lose, but I think many of us saw it coming.

  • Kon

    Someone should buy it and convert it into a classy cafe. Or a bar. 

    • Truth

      It will be a very tough sell.  The place was made to be a pizzeria, they have a pizza oven which is incrusted in tiny mirrors and looks like a giant disco ball.  Why would anyone buy this place when they can easy just rent out another place that is vacant.  Case in point Chert Poberi which is across from Glechik on Sheepshead Bay Rd or the space on the corner of Ave Z and East 16.

  • LesterK

    bad pizza is bad for business

  • LesterK

    TOP BRGR on emmons is next

    • Truth

      I had not been to Top Brgr so can’t speak first hand.  I passed there a few times when the weather was nice and they have costumer sitting outside.  I like their idea and I think it’s a good location.  If they improve their service which I am given to understand is not great I think this place has a chance. 

      • eri

        I personally really like Top Brgr but their prices are wildly steep. It comes out to be about $20 a person with a burger, fries and drink! That’s insanity. It comes out to be so expensive because they charge per ingredient. 

        • Truth

          I hear what you are saying, and again I never ate at the place, but if you get a burger fries and drinlk at El Greco with tip it will come out to pretty much the same thing and the burgers there aren’t really that good. So for a Kobe beef burger it might be woth it.

          • FXBITSGG

            def not kobe beef they lie about that, OBVV 
            and they dont even want you sitting at their tables if you dont purchase anything from them even if empty lke come on customers come there for DP not a burger go to roll n roaster not a scam burger place like this

  • Anonymous

    189k, for a Failed business?

    ain’t that a bit Steep?

  • The Artist

    Yeah right, owners dispute my genitals…..that place is a over priced money pit that no one went to!!

  • TJ

    nobody goes in ……………..no rent money

  • Truth

    If they didn’t post the sale ad there was always the choice of setting the place on fire and collecting insurance.  Now that option is gone.

    On a somewhat related note.  Perhaps someone can shine some light on the following.  There is a what a appears to be a French restaurant on the corner of Ocean Ave and Ave W, the windows are tinted and I have never seen anyone walk in or out of the place yet the sign outside says OPEN.  Has anyone ever been there or know anything about?  Is it like a local vampire hang out?

    • http://twitter.com/Lostinservice Lostinservice

      I have. It’s a beautiful atmosphere, and incredible decor. The food is good and at first prices seem fair, until you see the portion sizes (at least for banquet menu) and realize you should have ordered food for 40 if you have 20 guests…

      The place does get packed out every now and again (surprising right?!), so perhaps its pretty good for a la carte, but I can’t vouch for that.

      • http://www.flickr.com/knightmare6 Knightmare6

         Portion sizes being small in French restaurants… that’s really nothing new, LOL!

        For the most part I find the portion sizes to be okay, it’s just the price, but that’s more a problem with having been spoiled at other restaurants were you get giant portions for lower prices. The American food mentality is what it is. We’re used to getting too much food :/

  • http://blog.arikatt.com Ariela B.

    Hm…just about hit the “6 months to failure” predictions from the other article.

  • JR

    what is it like 70 % of businesses go out of business in the 1st year… plus this wasn’t that good

  • http://www.nedberke.com Ned Berke

    Just going to emphasize again: Chipp is not closed, and according to the owners, is not closing. 

  • Tgonz333

    This place is KILLING all the residents that live above them. So much smoke is being created by their wood burning stove that it billows in to all the apartments.  It’s unbelievable that this place got zoning in this area.