56th Fighter Group in East Farmingdale to close Aug. 12
Labor Day weekend at the American Airpower Museum features a vintage warplane exhibit Sept. 3-5, 2011 in Farmingdale. Credit: Handout
The 56th Fighter Group flies its last mission next month.
General manager Robert Johnson said the restaurant's 30-year lease expires in August. He told Newsday, in this article by Nicholas Spangler, that a dispute with the Town of Babylon over property taxes prompted the decision to close.
This year's bill: about $160,000. Under state agreement, since the restaurant is a nonaviation business, the payments are mandatory. Johnson termed them "excessive." But any reassessment rate couldn't be in place until 2013.
Johnson said that the eatery, which has a World War II theme pegged to local aircraft production, would like to reopen closer to the neighboring American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport.
The popular East Farmingdale restaurant, which has "ready and waiting" as its motto, is slated to shut on Aug. 12. It opened in 1982.
It's situated on the west side of the airport off Route 110. And for now, it's open for lunch Monday to Saturday; dinner from 4 p.m. six days and from 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Sunday brunch starts at 10 a.m.
56th Fighter Group, 7160 Republic Airport, East Farmingdale; 631-694-8280.
From the American Airpower Museum.
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