The Israeli flags outside his Greek diner prompted a boycott. Then Jewish eaters came to his rescue.
The Golden Dolphin diner in Huntington, New York, on Oct. 31, 2023. Photo by Stewart Ain
By Stewart Ain October 31, 2023
Four Israeli flags fly outside the Golden Dolphin Diner and its windows are covered with rows of pictures of hostages kidnapped by Hamas. A sign under the pictures reads: “Greek diners stand with Israel.”
Peter Tsadilas, who owns the diner on Main Street in Huntington, New York — on Long Island’s North Shore — had put up the display early last week. Almost immediately, three of the 13 people on his staff quit. Several people working for restaurant delivery services refused to fulfill orders from the Golden Dolphin. His business disappeared from a delivery company’s website, he said, and was restored only after he threatened to sue.
Then many customers suddenly decided not to eat there anymore.
“I got kickback from a lot of people who came in and threatened us,” said Tsadilas, who said he lost 40% of his business over the course of about a week.
Tsadilas is not sure who orchestrated the campaign against the Golden Dolphin, or how organized it was. But then, suddenly on Saturday, business began to boom. It’s been busy ever since.
At lunchtime on Tuesday, a line of about 10 people waited for tables as others debated whether they had time to join it.
“It’s basically Jewish people,” Tsadilas said of the sudden abundance of customers. “I wish my people were like that.”
Through word of mouth and a local radio report, many Long Island Jews heard of the heat Tsadilas had taken for his support of the hostages and Israel, and decided to support him — mostly by having a meal at the Golden Dolphin.
Hamas on Oct. 7 killed 1,400 in Israel and abducted more than 220. Israel has responded with air strikes that have killed more than 8,000 Palestinians, according to Hamas. Though Israel garnered much sympathy immediately after the attacks, major protests against the Jewish state have since erupted on college campuses and in cities around the world. Many, including UN General Secretary António Guterres, have called for a cease-fire. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas must first be routed from Gaza.
Tsadilas said he’s heard even from Jews who keep kosher and can’t eat at his non-kosher restaurant, but who wanted to express their appreciation anyway.
‘Crazy busy’
Almost all of the dozen diners I interviewed at the Golden Dolphin, most from Long Island cities and towns, said they had come to eat or order takeout because Tsadilas stood up for Israel. Some customers said they had driven more than an hour to patronize the place, and Tsadilas said customers from out-of-state have been telling him how they appreciate the risks he has taken.
Lior Sapan, 43, who was born in Israel and whose son is a lone soldier now fighting there, said she now lives in Woodmere, on Long Island’s South Shore — about a 45-minute drive from the diner — and came with six of her friends after reading about Tsadilas on social media.
“This is our first time but not the last, for sure,” she said. “We absolutely are going to support any business that supports Israel. This is a human being who knows that our people are kidnapped and tortured by Hamas and he is not afraid to stand against everyone else who believes differently.” She said she and her friends thanked Tsadilas and took a picture with him.
Dennis Feuerstein, 64, of nearby Plainview, said he and his wife Michele had read of Tsadilas’ troubles on Facebook and came to support him. “And now we can’t get a table,” he said. “But God bless them.”
Ezra Lewis, 43, of nearby Syosset, said he came after friends sent him Facebook posts about the diner losing business. “We have to support people who support us,” he said. “We can use all the support we can get.”
Tom DeNapoli of Dix Hills, about a 20-minute drive from the diner, said he came after hearing about its troubles on WABC Radio. “They said it was being boycotted by all the delivery services because it is behind Israel, so I came out to support them,” he said, noting that he isn’t Jewish. “I’ve never been here before. The food is good and I support Israel.”
Jaime Ioppolo, 23, of Huntington, placed a takeout order and stepped outside to wait and marvel at the crowd. “They are crazy busy in there. It should be awhile before I get my food,” she said. But Ioppolo, who owns a business a short distance away, looked at the Israeli flags and the hostage posters and said creating a display like the one at the diner is not something she would do.
“I would never mix politics with food,” she explained. “I personally don’t mind it, but you know how things are now.”
This is not the first time Tsadilas has lost business for a reason unrelated to the diner. He was charged with animal abuse four years ago after his yellow lab grew so skinny she appeared to have been starved. Many boycotted the diner and on social media wrote that they hoped it would be forced to close. But it turned out that the dog had a large tumor and gained weight once it was removed. A jury found Tsadilas not guilty, after which he asked the public not to jump to conclusions so quickly.
“There was no asking me any questions. It was just, you know, give up the dog or get arrested,” Tsadilas said at the time. “They didn’t want to know the truth.”
Tsadilas subsequently filed a civil suit against Nassau County, the Nassau County Society for the Prevention of Cruel to Animals and its detective, Matt Roper. They entered into an out-of-court settlement with him earlier this year for an undisclosed amount of money.
Correction: The original version of this article misspelled the name of a woman whose son is a lone soldier in Israel and came to the diner with six friends. She is Lior Sapan, not Satan.
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