Paper Plate restaurant closes in Deer Park
A double-stacked American cheeseburger at Paper Plate in Deer Park. Credit: Ian Martin
Paper Plate, a smashburger and chicken concept that debuted at Williamsburg’s Smorgasburg food hall in 2022, has closed after a year in Deer Park. It was the shop's first brick-and-mortar restaurant.
Similar to the West Coast’s In-and-Out, Paper Plate was an everyman joint that served burgers with all the fixings: lettuce, tomato, pickles, American cheese, grilled onions and, of course, special sauce on a potato bun. There were also moist chicken breast tenders that tasted just like Chick fil-A, grilled or fried chicken sandwiches, and a simple grilled cheese for the pickiest of kids. Fries, the frozen crinkled variety, came be in plain or dressed cheesy versions.
The Deer Park restaurant opened in the former Ruby’s Coop, an upscale chicken sandwich joint on this busy stretch of Commack Road that closed in 2023.
Paper Plate was the brainchild of Aaron Ratner, a Great Neck native who studied at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa, California, before launching a fried chicken and waffle pop-up in 2019 that eventually morphed into Paper Plate. He expanded to Williamsburg’s Food Hall, had a seasonal food truck in Manhattan's Hudson Yards and a stall in the Jacx & Co. Food Hall in Long Island City, Queens. With white walls, paper plates, spare seating and a casual vibe, the brand celebrated a simpler time.
At the time they opened, Ratner told Newsday the Long Island location would bring in more families than the city spots, making him optimistic about the future of the brand.
Ratner did not respond to requests for comment about the closing.
A global freelancer who has checked her suitcase to raise her young daughter on her native Long Island, Marie Elena will always make time for good mezcal, even better tacos and killer conversation. Preferably, in a corner bar seat. She can be found on Instagram at @mariesworldeats.
Most Popular
Top Stories
