The Golden Dolphin Dinner in Huntington, New York on October 31, 2023. Photo by Stewart Ain
By Stewart Aïn
October 31, 2023
Four Israeli flags fly outside the Golden Dolphin Diner and its windows are covered with rows of photos of hostages kidnapped by Hamas. A sign below the images reads: “Greek diners stand with Israel.”
Peter Tsadilas, owner of the restaurant on Main Street in Huntington, New York – on the north shore of Long Island – installed the exhibit early last week. Almost immediately, three of the 13 people who made up his team resigned. Several people working for restaurant delivery services refused to fulfill the Golden Dolphin’s orders. His business disappeared from a delivery company’s website, he said, and was only reinstated after he threatened legal action.
Then many customers suddenly decided not to eat there anymore.
“I received bribes from a lot of people who came to threaten us,” said Tsadilas, who said he lost 40 percent of his business in about a week.
Tsadilas does not know exactly who orchestrated the campaign against the Golden Dolphin, or how it was organized. But suddenly, on Saturday, business started booming. It’s been busy ever since.
At lunchtime on Tuesday, about ten people were waiting for tables while others wondered if they had time to join the table.
“It’s mostly Jews,” Tsadilas said of the sudden abundance of customers. “I wish my people were like that.”
Through word of mouth and a local radio report, many Jews on Long Island heard about the heat Tsadilas had received for his support of the hostages and Israel, and decided to support him – mainly by taking a meal at the Golden Dolphin.
On October 7, Hamas killed 1,400 people in Israel and kidnapped more than 220. Israel responded with airstrikes that killed more than 8,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas. Although Israel garnered much sympathy immediately after the attacks, major protests against the Jewish state have since erupted on college campuses and in cities around the world. Many, including the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, called for a ceasefire. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas must first be driven out of Gaza.
Tsadilas said she heard even from Jews who remain kosher and cannot eat at her non-kosher restaurant, but still wanted to express their appreciation.
“Crazy Busy”
Nearly all of the dozen diners I interviewed at the Golden Dolphin, mostly from towns and villages across Long Island, said they came to eat or order takeout because Tsadilas had defended Israel . Some customers said they drove more than an hour to patronize the place, and Tsadilas said customers from out of state told him how much they appreciated the risks he took.
Lior Sapan, 43, who was born in Israel and whose son is a lone soldier now fighting there, said she now lives in Woodmere, on the south shore of Long Island — about a 45-minute drive from the restaurant – and that she came with six of them. friends after hearing about Tsadilas on social media.
“It’s our first time but not the last, of course,” she said. “We will absolutely support any business that supports Israel. He is a human being who knows our people are being kidnapped and tortured by Hamas and he is not afraid to stand up to anyone who believes differently. She said she and her friends thanked Tsadilas and took a photo with him.
Dennis Feuerstein, 64, of Plainview, said he and his wife Michele read about Tsadilas’ problems on Facebook and came to support him. “And now we can’t get a table,” he said. “But God bless them.”
Ezra Lewis, 43, of nearby Syosset, said he came after friends sent him messages on Facebook about the restaurant’s loss of business. “We have to support the people who support us,” he said. “We can use all the support we can get. »
Tom DeNapoli of Dix Hills, about a 20-minute drive from the restaurant, said he came after hearing about its problems on WABC Radio. “They said all the delivery services were boycotting it because they were behind Israel, so I came to support them,” he said, emphasizing that he was not Jewish. “I’ve never been here before. The food is good and I support Israel.
Jaime Ioppolo, 23, of Huntington, placed a takeout order and went outside to wait and marvel at the crowd. “They are very busy in there. It should take a while before I get my food,” she said. But Ioppolo, who owns a business nearby, looked at the Israeli flags and hostage posters and said creating a display like the restaurant’s was not something she would do.
“I would never mix politics and food,” she explained. “Personally I don’t mind, but you know how things are now.”
This isn’t the first time Tsadilas has lost business for a reason unrelated to the restaurant. He was charged with animal abuse four years ago after his yellow lab became so thin she appeared to be starving to death. Many boycotted the restaurant and wrote on social media that they hoped it would be forced to close. But it turned out the dog had a large tumor and had gained weight once it was removed. A jury found Tsadilas not guilty, after which he asked the public not to jump to conclusions.
“No one asked me any questions. It was just, you know, abandon the dog or get arrested. Tsadilas said at the time. “They didn’t want to know the truth.”
Tsadilas then filed a civil suit against Nassau County, the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and its detective, Matt Roper. They reached an out-of-court settlement with him earlier this year for an undisclosed amount of money.
Correction: The original version of this article misspelled the name of a woman whose son is a lone soldier in Israel and came to the restaurant with six friends. She is Lior Sapan, not Satan.
