Skinflints Restaurant, a Bay Ridge institution on the corner of 5th Avenue and 79th Street, celebrated 50 years in business on July 21 by turning back the clock and treating customers and their wallets to a glimpse of the past.
The community staple commemorated the milestone with its menu from 1975, complete with 1975 prices. The restaurant’s signature burgers, served on an English muffin instead of a bun, ranged from $1.85 for a cheeseburger to $2.75 for a bacon cheeseburger, while a steak with salad and fries set guests back a mere $6.50.
Gerard Bell, who co-owns Skinflints with Billy Gardella, told the Brooklyn Paper that it was an exciting day, and offering 1975 prices was a way to give back to the community. He credited his staff for Skinflints’ success.
“I will always give credit to the staff, because I’m just one guy. I’m just a coach. They do everything,” Bell said. “They are terrific.”
Bell shared that his favorite times are Thanksgiving and Easter, when the restaurant delivers food to seniors, and Christmas, when the restaurant is transformed into an elaborate winter wonderland.
“That’s the best time of the year,” Bell said. “Christmas is special here with the trains and everything.”
The space Skinflints has occupied for 50 years is steeped in history. Before the restaurant opened in 1975, the space was home to Meyer & Blohm ice cream parlor for 50 years. Bell and Gardella retained many original features, including the mosaic floor tiles and ice cream gauges, preserving a piece of history and evoking a sense of nostalgia for locals.
The restaurant was buzzing with customers, many of them had been coming to Skinflints for over 40 years.
Bay Ridge residents Laura and Frank Rossie, along with their friend Anne Marie Maresca, credited the restaurant’s success to its welcoming family atmosphere, Bell’s warm personality, and the consistently high quality of the food, calling the burgers the “best in Brooklyn.”
Like many of Skinflints’ patrons, the Rossies and Maresca have been coming to the local mainstay for over four decades.
“We see people from the community board here. We’ve seen people from the police department. We’ve seen people who are firemen. People from the community basically all come here. They seem to all gravitate to this location,” Frank Rossie said.
“It’s a staple in the community with great stability,” Laura Rossie added.
Maresca credited the owners’ business savviness for staying in business for half a century.
“It’s determination for one to stay in business. During COVID, it was a challenge, but Gerard is magnificent,” Maresca said. “He’s a great businessman and a wonderful human being, and there’s just a great family atmosphere, and it’s just a warm and welcoming place. The food is fabulous, they have the best burgers on the planet.”
Friends Tom and Kevin, both Bay Ridge residents, were waiting for a table. While Kevin had been a regular for 40 years, it was Tom’s first time eating at Skinflints.
Kevin appreciated that Skinflints is a genuinely local restaurant where guests always run into someone from the neighborhood they know.
“The food is pretty good. [Skinflints] keeps the prices pretty good. They don’t raise them too much. And it’s a pretty friendly place,” Kevin said.
Tom joined the festivities because of the 1975 prices.
“You can’t really afford to go out to eat that much. Prices have gone up and up and up,” said Tom, who is on a fixed income and doesn’t eat out often.
Tom and Beth Antonello have been coming to Skinflints for 50 years, and explained the restaurant’s longevity with the one-of-a-kind atmosphere and the burgers.
“Gerard does a great job decorating,” Tom Antonello said. “It brings local people in, people from Park Slope. Everybody comes here just for the atmosphere.”
Beth hoped that guests didn’t leave a 1975-sized tip.
“I just hope that everybody tips not on the bill, [but] they tip on the service,” she joked.
