Sept. 1, 2020 By Christian Murray
A family-owned banquet hall that has served Queens residents for nearly 70 years has announced that it has closed permanently due to COVID-19.
Riccardo’s by the Bridge, founded in 1951 at 21-01 24th Ave. in Astoria, announced today that it is closing for good. Anthony Corbisiero, whose family owns the venue, announced the closure on its website.
The banquet hall, which has been with the Corbisiero family for four generations, is a casualty of the city’s restrictions on indoor dining and the uncertainty of what will be permitted in coming months.
The establishment was a popular wedding venue and where reunions and dinner dances were often held.
“You have honored us with hosting the most meaningful events of your lives: when love was in the air at your weddings; when tears flowed at the funeral repast of loved ones; when you got the gang together for a Reunion, or Holiday, or Dinner Dance, or Murder Mystery, or Carnevale, or Valentine’s Day or anything else that required fine food,” Corbisiero wrote.
Corbisiero added that anyone with an event booked or has a deposit on file will be refunded over the next 90 days.
“This decision has been extremely difficult to make, and is solely due to the various impacts of the COVID pandemic,” Corbisiero wrote.
“If it were up to us we would cater your special events forever. But after reviewing all options and weighing all known factors, there is simply no realistic path forward given all of the unknowns: when we might reopen and, even then, the anticipated City, State and Federal restrictions that will most definitely be placed on such a reopening.”
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27 Comments
Good to see sensible people responding to the anti-science and anti-economy antics of DeBozo and his partner, Cuomo! They are deliberately destroying the economy and taking away our freedoms.
how can they destroy an economy that doesn’t exist? Herman Cain thought the virus was a hoax too…
Great location for a mosque.
Very sad. It would be a great location for a supermarket or private security business though. There is a parking lot across the street. Or maybe much needed affordable housing. I would love to live by the park.
Worst economy in history. Sad to see it affect our neighborhood.
exactly…the governor and the mayor shut down these businesses and seriously damaged our local economy…maybe we can open these businesses back up considering the numbers have been flat for over 2 months?…
We had 200k dead Americans. How is that the mayor of NYC’s fault again? How gullible.
very sad for sure but i am sure they sold the land and now it will become apartment buildings.
You can get married online now and save a lot of money on wedding ceremonies and receptions. With this economy you are better off saving your money and just posting any changing life event online.
Marriage is for suckers anyway. It’s also the leading cause of divorce.
Cuomo and deblasio receive regular paychecks
They could not care less about catering halls and restaurants
These two fools need to be sued and we need a recall mechanism
Maybe they are concerned about the global pandemic
If you care less that means you care at least a little.
Couldn’t care less means you don’t care at all. Which explains how dumblazzio and cuomo are handling these things.
so Westchester and Nassau counties can open for indoor dining but somehow the air inside queens restaurants is more dangerous and they cannot open? Dr. Fauci said it is safe for every American to go and vote in person and Queens can’t have 50% capacity indoor dining?…so much for the jobs of all the immigrants who wait tables and do the cooking
Sad to hear but place was going downhill. I used to go
to the Italian dinner dances back in the 80’s was a lot of fun but things started to change & I wondered how it kept its doors open .
WHAT?? Omg, so sorry to hear this. That place is an institution, & one of a kind in Astoria. Everyone there was always very kind & helpful. Thank you, all of you, for all you have done -but still hoping this plan changes.
It wasnt the greatest banquet hall in Astoria. Food was mediocre. I attended a christening 15 yrs ago and it was so out of touch compared to other halls.
I remember when it was know as Riccardo’s and lots of dinner dances held there
I wonder if they going to build mega jumbo housing
shame Trump couldn’t do anything to contain the virus. We’re the only 1st-world country that had their entire economy wiped out, just another victim
too bad china allowed international travel to and from Wuhan after they shut down domestic travel to and from Wuhan completely…this is a horrible crime they committed against humanity…thank god our president is standing up to them instead of supporting the Trans Pacific Partnership and shipping our jobs to Asia…Thanks Sleepy Joe!!…good to see you came out of the basement!!
Agreed, Trump let in LOTS of Chinese nationals well after he was warned
Highest unemployment in our nation’s history
Single worst day in the stock market in our nation’s history
Not a single inch of wall
You said something about trade? lol
-Lowest unemployment for blacks, latinos, and women
-Best stock market in American history
-450 miles of wall
-Tore up TPP and renegotiated NAFTA
you realize we have internet now?
Mexico didn’t make a “one-time payment” for it, you ACTUALLY believed they would!
$15 billion in new taxes instead; more border wall was built under Obama, none under Trump where there wasn’t already. The percentage of deportations of illegal immigrants is WAY down.
The Dow fell nearly 3000 points in a single day, breaking the record.
Like you said, for the vast majority of Americans, this is the highest unemployment in our nation’s history; 27.6%. 4 million Americans lost their jobs
If you have a single fact to share, feel free.
Terrible
Thanks deblasio and Cuomo for continuing a cruel lockdown
But then again you two don’t work
Hashtagger- Put the blame where it belongs on Trump. Now he is trying to claim nobody died. You really picked an idiot. The Texas department of health has had to take out full page ads to slow the consumption of antiseptic to treat Corona because of this idiot.
Reply to Mac attack:
I am going to vote for Trump again ?
Get over your fears .
Trump ordered the shutdown that ruined our local businesses?..I thought he shutdown travel from china when Joe Biden was still calling the travel ban racist and xenophobic?…Maybe DeBlasio can just open the restaurants back at 50% capacity like in Nassau…I hate driving all the way down Northern Blvd just to sit indoors to eat…but they do have that special covid free air in Nassau county….isn’t science amazing??
Nope, you were completely wrong. Explains the confusion!