Ray Bari Pizza On 76th To Shutter?

Ray Bari Pizza on 76th may be closing up shop soon. The Real Deal is reporting that the proprietor of the pizza spot, who also owns the building the parlor resides in, is considering shutting down his pizza businesses located at Third Avenue and 76th Street and at Third Avenue and 56th Street.

From the Real Deal:

"Right now we're breaking even. Why not just sit back and make money? Why keep on going on and struggling when you could do easy money with just a rental?" said (Joseph Bari).

Bari is already planning to close the 1,500-square foot ground-level pizza parlor at 1330 Third Avenue and 76th Street, at least temporarily, to make way for a gut renovation of the restaurant and four stories of residential units above.

He is also considering leasing out his other Ray Bari Pizza parlor at 930 Third Avenue at 56th Street. That pizza place occupies 4,500 square feet of the bottom two floors of a rental building. In February, Bari leased out an additional 1,500 square feet which had been part of the pizza place.

"Real estate is more valuable than any restaurant," Bari said. But, he added: "We will return it to a Ray Bari Pizza if we don't get another tenant."