Just two years after debuting in Douglaston, Strawberry’s Sports Grill shut its doors permanently this past weekend.
The eatery, located along 235th Street near the community’s Long Island Rail Road station, was owned and operated by former Mets and Yankees slugger Darryl Strawberry and his brother, Michael.
The restaurant could not be reached for comment on closing its doors Sunday, but posted a statement on its Facebook page.
“After two wonderful years, we sadly announce that Strawberry’s Sports Grill has shut its doors for the last time,” the statement read. “Unfortunately, things have just run their course. We will take the wonderful memories and keep them in our hearts always. This was a beautiful two years that we’ll never forget.”
It was unclear why Strawberry’s closed down, but a spokeswoman for the city’s Health Department said that a rating for the restaurant had been pending.
Community leaders and residents said they were disappointed by the closing of the eatery.
“A couple of months ago, there was a rumor that it might close but then it went away,” said Rosemarie Guidice, who works at Station Realty across the street from Strawberry’s. “You never want to see a business go out around here.”
Douglas Montgomery, a local realtor, said the restaurant appeared to be popular.
“The place was often packed,” he said. “My kids loved it. It’s a big loss for the neighborhood.”
But Montgomery said the eatery had recently been “scaling back” by closing early on Mondays and opening later on other days of the week.
Patch wants to hear from readers who ate or dropped by for drinks at Strawberry’s Sports Grill? Are you disappointed or surprised that the eatery shut down? Post your comments in the section provided below.
The food was always excellent. I noticed that when they changed their menu recently they discontinued their special brisket filled hamburger. I thought that their brisket filled burger (I forgot the name that it was called) was THE BEST HAMBURGER I tasted. To top it off, Strawberry's contributed a portion of the price charged to Daryl's charity. The memorabilia in the restaurant was like a mini-hall of fame - you did not have to travel to Cooperstown (although it's worth the trip) to see Daryl's contribution to New York's baseball history that satisfied both Yankees and Mets fans. I will miss a good meal and a fun place to go, especially in such a quaint area of Douglaston that it was located.
We need a nice neighborhood tavern with home-style cooking that knows the customer's likes and they MUST adhere to a stricter policy of not giving away booze. That was Strawberry's biggest mistake!
I guess we should have had a clue that things were not going well, when they pulled out of the festival that was successful last year.
The restaurant was just as bad except for the food in the beginning. You would get frustarted waiting until you looked over at the bar where they would all gather. I once was told that they were very busy in the kitchen. This would have been a great excuse w/out the chef standing at the end of the bar watching the football game. Some tips for the next restaurant. Hire competent staff; not just nice people Don't overprice your menu due to the affluence of the neighborhood nearby (it's why the last two failed) Don't let your staff run the place and give your profits away. Best of luck!
I was a big fan of Pete Rose and after many years after being out of the game, I went to a place he had in southern Florida where he did a daily radio broadcast from. That place was hoping and he was always there for his show. I have no idea if that is still around or how long it lasted.
Oh, I did not realize he lives in Missouri. Well, if he's interested, he may fare better if he decides to open a resturant there. It is hard to have a sucessful business if he only shows up, occasionally.