DOWNTOWN BROOKLNY, New York (WABC) — It’s the end of an era in Brooklyn.
After 40 years of service, the institution known as Gino’s Pizza has closed, and long-time customers are devastated.
It’s like saying goodbye to an old friend.
“This is my first job and my last, what are we going to do, everything comes to an end,” said Gino’s Pizza Owner Naser Kucevic.
Kucevic started the business nearly 40 years ago so his family could have a better life.
Gino’s sits at the corner of Flatbush and Bergen in Downtown Brooklyn and is now officially closed.
“I feel very bad, very sad, very sad, we had a lot of happy customers,” Kucevic said.
Eli Medina was one of those happy customers. He’s been here since the beginning.
“I am an OG, yeah, one of the few,” Medina said. “I saw it on Instagram and I’m like, ‘oh Gino’s is closing, oh damn.’ Another one bites the dust.”
Gino’s sits in an area up the street from the Barclays Center where a growing number of vacant stores are popping up.
“We’ve worked really hard to make Flatbush into a thriving district. I’ve been here for 18 years,” Evan Franca said.
He owns Bklyn Crepe and is a member of The Flatbush Avenue Business Improvement District.
“You’re going to see this as a ghost town if these landlords don’t wake up and be reasonable,” Franca said.
Kucevic told Eyewitness News that this was not the case when his lease ended in December.
He said he tried to negotiate what he thought was a reasonable offer with the new building owner.
“We were paying $10,000 a month. We offered $15; they were asking $25,000,” Kucevic said.
He had no choice but to walk away.
“I hope it’s not replaced with some kind of corporate slop or something… or an ATM,” said customer, Matt Sick.
Gino’s may be closed but what’s not forgotten, the many memories, and the pizza.
“It was a dream, everything I had, I’m going to miss this,” Kucevic said.
———-
* More Brooklyn news
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Copyright © 2026 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.
