NY Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza Visits Robke's Restaurant Of Northport: 'It Was An Honor'

NORTHPORT, NY — The staff of Robke's of Northport got to meet a Met.

Carlos Mendoza, manager of the New York Mets, dined at Robke's, located at 427 Fort Salonga Road, on Wednesday night.

Louis Selvaggio Jr., owner of the restaurant, was at his other restaurant, Birdie Bar — down the road from Robke's — when he got a call around 5:30 p.m. that the Mets skipper was sitting in the back room of his restaurant.

Selvaggio, a lifelong Yankees fan who grew up in the Bronx, was wearing a Yankees hat when he was introduced to Mendoza.

"He kind of laughed about it," Selvaggio told Patch. "I congratulated him and said, 'Hey, I'm a lifetime Yankees fan, but you honestly made it hard not to root for you guys,' and we got along real quick."

The Mets exceeded expectations this season. While they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, the final round before the World Series, oddsmakers had pegged the Amazins' as a .500 team before the year. The Mets defied the odds all year, perhaps with some positive juju from McDonald's mascot Grimace, and finished the year 89-73.

The Mets upset the Milwaukee Brewers in the Wild Card round thanks to a clutch home run from first baseman Pete Alonso and then defeated the NL East division champion Philadelphia Phillies in the National League Division Series. Had the Mets defeated the Dodgers, they would be playing the New York Yankees in the 2024 World Series, which would have been dubbed a rematch of the 2000 Subway Series, which the Yankees won.

Selvaggio said he and his team congratulated Mendoza on "such a great season."

"The timing was pretty cool, because everybody has been rooting for the Mets so hard lately," Selvaggio said. "They had such a great season and great ending to the season. Most of my staff are big, big time Mets fans. A lot of my waiters and bartenders have been really, really big Mets fans their whole lives. It was really, really cool. A lot of the customers here; all of the games, people were cheering for the Mets."

Customers cheered and took photos with the Mets manager. Mendoza, as he was leaving the restaurant, was serenaded to "Let's go Mets!' chants.

"He had a big smile on his face," Selvaggio said. "It was really cool to watch. It was a vibe, the place was packed, it was cool."

While Selvaggio was born and raised a Yankees fan, he said Mendoza and the culture he instilled in the Mets made it hard not to root for them this year.

"I think everybody wanted to see the Subway Series," he said. "It was an honor to meet [Mendoza]. The timing couldn't be more perfect. We were watching every game. Everything was so exciting, it was really cool."

Mendoza and his party ordered an Italian salad, blackened New York strip steak, homemade pasta with roasted veal and ravioli, said Selvaggio.

Selvaggio said it was cool to see his dad, also a lifelong Yankees fan, excited about Mendoza's visit.

"Nothing impresses my dad. He said, 'We all rooted for him all year,'" Selvaggio said. "He was super happy and super impressed to see Carlos Mendoza sitting here."

Mendoza served as a Yankees bench coach from 2018 through 2023.