By Julia Aneiro and Briana Belfer

In the opening scene of Saturday Night Fever, Tony Manero struts down 86th Street; on his way, he decides to stop for his famed double-decker slice at Lenny’s. Lenny’s Pizza has been firmly embedded in the collective memory of Bensonhurst since its opening in the early 50s. It has continued to reign as one of the most popular Bensonhurst and Brooklyn pizzerias and is an 86th Street go-to spot. We received a resounding yes from the owner almost immediately after introducing ourselves and got the chance to sit down one in one of its plain booths to discuss the pizzeria, 86th Street, Bensonhurst, and how storefronts in Brooklyn have changed as a whole.

The current owner/manager, Josephine, explained that the original Lenny behind the name only owned the storefront for about 6 years. It was then purchased by another man who owned it for 25 years and he then sold it to her father, who has owned the pizzeria for 30 years now and is semi retired. We prompted her about the name and why she believes it’s lasted for so long. She recalled her father telling her “I want to keep the name for the neighborhood, this is a place for the neighborhood, it’s not about me.” The name preceded its reputation and the idea of ever changing it is unfathomable to Josephine and the customers, some of which who have been coming for decades.

Some of Lenny’s success can be attributed to the minor celebrity attached to the storefront following that opening scene of Saturday Night Fever. The inevitable had to be asked, and we coyly landed onto the subject. It’s an interesting part of the store’s history and could be a partial reason as to why it has managed to stay alive in the changing climate of 86th Street, a main and rather long shopping street within Bensonhurst, as many small businesses on it have become franchised locations. Surprisingly, Josephine was more than happy to talk about it, in fact she had quite a lot to say on the subject.

“If I had a penny for how many people tell me they were here during the movie, I’d be rich! There’s always a few guys that come and point to the picture of John Travolta and a guy in here and say ‘that’s me’.”

People from London, Japan, and all around the world have come to Lenny’s and taken pictures with the framed picture of John Travolta, a fact that we found quite astonishing. Bensonhurst is not much of a tourist trap and not many take the hike to South Brooklyn, especially foreign tourists; however, people have come all the way down in order to grab a slice of Lenny’s and see the storefront.

Lenny’s has more of a grip on the neighborhood than just a movie cameo; it’s also a historic spot that’s been around for many years. Opened in 1953, Lenny’s was one of the first pizzerias established in the area and quickly became a neighborhood staple where residents could go for good food and consistent, friendly service: the perfect compliment to a day of shopping on busy 86th Street. Bensonhurst had a generally homogenous population and remained so for many years afterward. Twenty years later, Tony Manero (or anybody else) walking around in 1973 was more than likely to exclusively run into Italians or Jews. Through to the end of the 20th century into the early 2000s, Bensonhurst remained a largely white neighborhood.

When we touched on the subject of how the peopling of 86th Street has changed, Josephine passionately agreed that much is different. Although she is in her 30s, she grew up in a predominately Italian Bensonhurst as well and now more and more small businesses are owned by Asian and Eastern European immigrants.

Lenny’s has been in Josephine Giordano’s family since her father bought it in the 1980s, and she was vocal about the changes she’s seen in the neighborhood as far as demographics go. Instead of the predominantly white population typical throughout the last century, Bensonhurst has welcomed an influx of immigrants from all over Eastern Europe and, more recently, Asia – between 2000 and 2010, the area saw an Asian population growth of about 57%. The neighborhood is quickly becoming a third Brooklyn Chinatown and most of the newest businesses in the area are owned by Asian Americans and directed towards other immigrants.

What does this demographic shift mean for Bensonhurst’s and the surrounding neighborhoods’ futures, especially regarding small businesses? As older one- and two-family homes are continually knocked down in favor of profitable condominiums and apartment complexes, more and more first generation Americans are moving into the area looking for a new start. The neighborhood itself remains vibrant and familiar, even as older businesses fall through the cracks and new businesses struggle to maintain a foothold in the fast-paced atmosphere. Diners, delis and a roller rink fade away (that roller rink became a Rite Aid, said Rite Aid is now occupied by a Planet Fitness gym) but Lenny’s remains.

Josephine mentioned that although their loyal base of returning customers remains strong, many of them have moved to Staten Island and New Jersey and some even farther away. She hypothesized most of the people moving into the neighborhood apparently aren’t as interested in pizza and quick Italian food as previous populations have been, marked by the dwindling numbers of new customers coming through the doors. In fact, Josephine talked a bit about how many people come back to Lenny’s and almost always complain about the pizza outside of Brooklyn. “They all miss the pizza, they want pizza from Brooklyn!”

Gentrification hasn’t affected Lenny’s, 86th Street or much of South Brooklyn in Josephine’s opinion, but she regards it as a positive thing for Brooklyn in that it is growing, Brooklynites get to enjoy more new businesses and ultimately Brooklyn’s name is getting put out in the world. She moved to Fort Greene four years ago and used her neighborhood as an example of the positive changes (community garden, free yoga classes, safer neighborhoods, more places for people to eat out and enjoy themselves). While we differed in opinion with her, we were all in consensus that this type of gentrification has yet to fully impact South Brooklyn and Bensonhurst, where the shift is mainly in the ethnicities and nationalities of neighborhood residents. There is no influx of white non-native to New York twenty somethings that causes home rent to go up significantly. The rent for a retail space however has gone up astronomically as a whole but in Josephine’s words “people are willing to pay for it”, especially for a spot on 86th Street right below the D train and where many shop and eat regularly. “I don’t think anything happening downtown has to do with it. But, you know, you can make money here. You have everything on 86th Street.”

There is a pervading sense that 86th Street has what everyone needs, and Lenny’s fits neatly into that dynamic. As interviewers, we were somewhat elated to be getting an inside look to the pizzeria as frequent customers. At one point the phrase ‘the spot’ was thrown out, and there was a consensus among us, the interviewers, and the owner that Lenny’s was in the minds of many, ‘the spot.’ “Lenny’s is the spot because it’s always been the spot. This neighborhood has always been great and 86th Street was always the location to go to for everything. When I was a kid we would do all of our shopping here, and customers that have been coming to Lenny’s before we even owned it would tell us about things like that all the time.”

When we touched on the more difficult and negative aspects of owning a business, particularly in the changing climate of New York, Josephine admitted that at the moment she was grappling with whether or not she still wants to do this. A major example she presented was the nuisance that ‘bureaucratic’ agencies, like the health department, cause for small businesses. A health inspector fined Lenny’s $1000 for having a rag, a clean one, sitting on the counter. A single fly flew into the storefront and they were fined and asked to install a screen door.

“Immigrants come into this country and work hard and do so much, but it’s different now especially if you’re more American like my generation. It’s hard, why would you want to work 15-16 hours a day when you can go work 8 hours at Con Edison or something, get benefits, do this, do that and be fine?” said Josephine as she weighed the pros and cons of being a small business owner at this moment in time.

“I know now, from when this place opened up in the 50s till now, pizzerias are a thing of the past. The money is good but the amount of work and headaches put in to make that…the amount of stress and work…finding good workers is difficult, people don’t show up, people move back to their country…”According to her, within the food industry the profits have gone down, it used to be far easier and finding reliable employees over the past few years has been increasingly difficult. People get sick and refuse to come in which case her father comes in and works for 10-12 hours. People have had to go back to their home country before on short notice, she says this is a problem in the restaurant business as a whole.

But, there are plenty of pros. She likes being her own boss, the free pizza’s quite a perk as well everyday. Most of all, Josephine enjoys getting to meet so many people, both from thousands of miles away or around the block. She discusses meeting “kids when they’re in their mom’s bellies, and you see them grow up in the pizzeria, and then they get big and become little snots and don’t want to say hi to you!” Above all, she stresses that it’s a nice feeling to be a part of a community.

As our interview came to an end, Josephine brought up a point that particularly hit home. “You know, you’re gonna finish school and do well and maybe go work on Park Ave and live in the city. But then there’s that one day you gotta go get your taxes done or you wanna go see your mom so you go home and come here. You’re gonna think about all those times you came here with your mom or your dad or your brother and how you used to eat pizza here. I get that from people all the time. People would come when they were younger with their friends, with their family and to them Lenny’s would feel like home.”

As sentimental as it is, it rings true. Stretched out along 86th Street in between 19th and 20th Ave, there is a pizzeria that managed to stand the test of time and a changing environment. It’s home to many and for over 60 years has opened its arms to Bensonhurst and all those who just want a good slice of pizza.

References

“White and Asian Population, 1970, 2014.” Map. Social Explorer. Social Explorer, n.d. Web. May 30 12:46:42. EST 2016 (based on data from U.S. Census Bureau)

“White and Asian Population, 2000, 2014.” Map. Social Explorer. Social Explorer, n.d. Web. May 30 12:47:32. EST 2016 (based on data from U.S. Census Bureau)