Gorga’s Homemade Pasta & Pizza, the restaurant which set the stage for many conflicts this season on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, is closing its doors less than one year after it opened in May. The establishment is owned and operated by Joe Gorga with help from his wife, Melissa Gorga, and sister, Teresa Giudice, and served as a tribute to Joe and Teresa’s parents Giancinto and Antonia, who passed away in March.
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Word on the street is that Joe is not pleased with the arrangement with the actual owner of the eatery. “Joe is done with Gorga’s Homemade Pasta & Pizza,” a source told Us Weekly. “The actual owner of the restaurant and Joe worked out this deal where Joe would get money … if he lent his name and image to the restaurant. But the owner never made good on his end of the deal so Joe is done with the restaurant.”
On the other hand, Giudice and Gorga’s lawyer James J. Leonard claims that the RHONJ stars were just looking for a better location.
“They are in the process of closing down that location. They are looking for a bigger space, more conducive to the original vision that they had for the restaurant,” Leonard told People.
“They are in the process of looking to secure new management to help basically execute that vision and make what their dreams were more of a reality. This particular space was small and just wasn’t really conducive to what they were looking to do,” Leonard said.
The restaurant has been one of the controversial topics in the current eighth season of RHONJ as the show documented the tension between Joe and Melissa, who expressed frustration since Joe purchased the restaurant without even telling her. The family drama continues throughout the season as the siblings question Melissa’s involvement in the business.
The Real Housewives of New Jersey airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on Bravo.
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(Image courtesy of Bravo)
Staff Writer, BuddyTV
