Massimo Felici owns Vinum on Bay Street.

He opened the Italian restaurant in 2017 to bring the Tuscan cuisine he grew up with in Italy to Staten island.

But next Saturday will be the last dinner service. Felici said quality of life concerns have forced him to shut his doors.

What You Need To Know

  • Massimo Felici said quality of life concerns have forced him to shut his doors for his restaurant on Staten Island. He said customers tell him they feel unsafe in the neighborhood

  • Despite the perception, according to NYPD data, overall crime in the 120th Precinct has gone down nearly 9% so far this year compared with the same time last year

  • Over the summer, the district attorney's office placed surveillance cameras and lights throughout the Bay Street corridor. While Felici said he applauds that move, it's still not enough to keep people coming by

According to Felici, customers tell him they feel unsafe in the neighborhood.

“A lot of drugs [are] going on. There [are] drugs everywhere. I mean, a couple of these guys that we see every single day, one of them passed away some months ago,” he said.

According to the NYPD, a 32-year-old man was stabbed to death just before 5 p.m. Wednesday on the corner of Bay and Water streets.

That’s roughly a five-minute walk from Vinum.

“It became the new norm for many of us — me, my neighbors and everybody else. But I don’t only serve the people who are in this immediate area that understand the North Shore. I serve the whole island. We all serve the whole island. We need the whole island. And the people that are not use to this norm, they think that it’s unsafe to be down here.”

In September, the Staten Island district attorney’s office arrested 20 people, including a business owner, for running a drug enterprise across the street from Felici’s restaurant. '

He said since then things have improved.

“I’m glad they’re gone. Definitely got way more quieter now — 100% it has become definitely quieter [without] those kind of people, and so forth. Are they still around? 100%,” Felici said.

Felici is not alone.

The Richmond restaurant on the other side of Bay Street closed two months ago, citing the same reasons.

Merlyn Trinidad has been working at Kiara’s Hair Salon on Bay Street for seven years.

She told NY1 the business has closed earlier recently, and the owner has put a buzzer on the door, citing safety concerns.

Despite the perception, according to NYPD data, overall crime in the 120th Precinct has gone down nearly 9% so far this year compared with the same time last year.

However, Felici said he has had a hard time keeping his tables turning and is thankful he has another restaurant on the island.

His other restaurant serves American Italian food. So his neighbors will be missing out on the authentic flavors he was raised on.

“This is home, this is Italy, this brings me back to Tuscany,” Felici said.

Over the summer, the district attorney’s office placed surveillance cameras and lights throughout the Bay Street corridor.

While Felici said he applauds that move, it’s still not enough to keep people coming by.