Pizzeria Caught In Anti-Vax Spat Hits Market, Staff Claims Mix-Up

ASTORIA, QUEENS — An Astoria pizzeria that some claimed was defying the city’s vaccine mandate is now listed for sale on Craigslist — an outcome that some critics see as karma, but a manager chalks up to a major misunderstanding.

Several weeks ago, Bella Donna Pizza posted an anti-discrimination sign online, the likes of which have been cropping up in windows and Instagram grids of businesses that aren’t requiring customers to show proof of vaccination before entering inside.

Locals, who thought that the pizzeria at 37-05 Broadway was flouting the city’s vaccine law — especially after the shop posted an unsubstantiated claim that restaurants are losing business to the mandate by "complying with tyranny" — pledged on social to no longer buy pies or garlic knots at Bella Donna.

“Anyone who wants to report places not checking vaccination status here you go,” wrote one, adding a link to the 311 vaccine mandate violation page.

Then, on Thursday, the pizzeria was listed for sale on Craigslist, an outcome that some Astorians wondered if they had willed into existence.

A Bella Donna Pizza manager, however, told Patch that both postings — the anti-discrimination sign and the Craigslist ad — were being misunderstood.

“We’re fielding offers,” said the manager who gave his name as Joseph, adding that the Bella Donna Pizza owners are “pro vaccine” and are just looking for a partner to take on the shop’s daily responsibilities while they manage their other business. (The ad says “may be open to partnership.”)

As for the seemingly anti-vaccine-mandate post, Joseph said that it was actually put up in response to a racist message that someone scrawled on one of the pizzeria’s signs advertising halal cheese. (The pizzeria lists itself as having halal options on GrubHub, but doesn’t specify beyond that.)

“Somebody wrote something very disgusting on [the halal sign] last week, so we wanted everybody to know that we welcome everyone. It had nothing really to do with the vaccine,” he said.

Joseph added that Bella Donna Pizza is enforcing the indoor vaccine mandate and that unvaccinated customers can sit in the pizzeria’s streetside seating or partially enclosed backyard. The streetside section falls into the city’s definition of outdoor seating, where businesses do not need to check vaccination status.

While the pizzeria reposted the anti-discrimination message on Instagram last week with the caption “just saying all are welcome in my restaurant that’s it” — seemingly in response to the anti-Arab graffiti — the first post went up about three weeks ago.

That uncaptioned initial post doesn’t reference the city’s vaccine mandate, but the Bella Donna Pizza account does get into it in the comments.

In response to a comment that the shop is breaking the law by not enforcing the mandate, the Bella Donna Pizza handle wrote “it’s not my place to force anyone to do something they don’t want to do! Believe me I’m not trying to get [a] $1000 fine but I’m also not happy about asking someone if they have the vaccine.”

Further down in the comments the account reiterated that people who don’t want to show proof of vaccination can sit outdoors.

“If you don’t want to do that then you can go f*** yourself and stand on the corner and eat your pizza!!” the account wrote.

Joseph, however, maintains that the anti-discrimination sign has nothing to do with defying the mandate.

“We’re enforcing the mandate,” he said in response to a question about if the eatery had been fined by the city. “We’re all fully vaccinated and we support the vaccine,” he added, reiterating other comments that the pizzeria has posted on Instagram.

And, with winter around the corner, Bella Donna Pizza is preparing for more vaccine enforcement in its small indoor space. “As long as [customers] have the vaccine card they can sit inside, gladly,” said Joseph.

However, he hopes it doesn’t have to come down to that.

“Hopefully by then everybody is vaccinated and this whole thing is over, that’s what we’re hoping for,” he said.