Back in October, the Biggie’s location at Madison Street closed its doors for good. Now, following suit is the Biggie’s on Newark Street in Hoboken. While many Biggie’s patrons might be bummed about this news, co-owners {and brothers} Steven and Michael Ranuro want you to know they’re not going anywhere.
“It’s been a great 72 years and we really thank Hoboken and the surrounding area for giving our family the privilege to serve them over that time,” Steven Ranuro told Hoboken Girl during a phone interview.
“We’re definitely still available,” Steven says. “We do still have our other two locations operating and that’s Carlstadt and Ramsey. We’re also going to continue to do off-site catering in Hoboken and the surrounding area. So we will still have a presence in town when it comes to catering jobs and things like that. We’re not saying goodbye, we’re just, on day-to-day operations at Newark Street, we’ll no longer be operating.”
The Ranuro brothers confirmed that December 31 will be the Newark Biggie’s last day. But that’s not to say they’re not going out without a bang! For their final weekend in operation, Biggie’s is hosting two huge events: a happy hour and a New Year’s Eve party.
Tomorrow, Saturday, December 29, Biggie’s will host a customer appreciation happy hour from 12PM to 5PM.
“We just wanted to give people the opportunity to say goodbye and appreciate the people who have supported us throughout the entire history,” Michael Ranuro says. “It’s 12 to 5, it’s a happy hour, which we normally don’t do on Saturdays.”
The following day, Biggie’s is going out with a bang during their New Year’s Eve party, a ticketed event which is still available for purchase online. {It’s $90 per ticket and includes open bar, a dinner buffet, and a champagne toast at midnight! For those interested, more info is available on their website.}
“New Year’s Eve, we’re doing a huge party that’s a ticketed event. It’s an open bar type of thing,” Steven says. “We’re doing a big party on Saturday and a big party on Sunday.”
Biggie’s comes from humble beginnings. The restaurant and raw bar tavern was established in 1946 and has been passed down through the generations of Ranuros for the past 70+ years.
“We’re four generations,” Steven says. “It started with my brother and I’s great-grandfather. Then our grandfather. Our father took over. And now my brother and I run the operations. My father is still involved. But we would be generation number four.”
For the past 72 years, Biggie’s has not only remained in the family, but it has faithfully served locals with seafood delicacies and buffalo wings, history, and family tradition. While the owners are sad to leave their Newark location, the most important emotion they both evoke is gratitude.
“We are so very thankful of 72 years of, you know, the generations of families that have been coming in and the great relationships that we’ve honed through the years,” Steven says.
“We just want to say thank you,” Michael agrees. “I know people will be disappointed, but we really do serve a diverse set of customers. It’s still special to us. Hoboken is where we started and it will always be that to us. Just ‘thank you’ is the main point.”
What are your thoughts on the Newark Biggie’s location closing?
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