Though she can’t say much yet about why the restaurant she opened with husband Joe Gorga is closing after less than a year, Melissa Gorga is making it clear that they haven’t bitten off more than they can chew with the venture.
“We’re moving to a new location. The Gorga’s that is [there] right now, we just pulled the sign off the top yesterday,” The Real Housewives of New Jersey star, 38, said during a Wednesday, January 10, interview on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen of Gorga’s Homemade Pasta & Pizza. “The line’s been out the door, honestly, since we opened it, to the point to needing new management.”
“We are relocating and making it bigger, so we closed down that location,” she continued of their business venture, which opened in May. “Do not go to that location. It is not Gorga’s.”
She cryptically added: “You’re gonna hear a lot more. Let’s just say that location is not ours.”
Earlier in the day, Melissa opened up a bit more about the restaurant closing. “I can speak about it mildly because it’s a major situation unfortunately,” she said during an appearance on The Morning Breath show. “I will admit one thing – we are overwhelmed with the amount of people that are going. We had no idea it was going to be as busy as it is.”
She added: “We were having issues with the management and the way they were running it. There were a couple shady things going on.”
A source told Us exclusively on Wednesday that Joe is angry with his restaurant partners for not being honest with him.
“Joe is furious. He feels duped,” the insider told Us. “They never made good on their end of the deal so Joe was done … This isn’t a good look and people don’t understand why they didn’t give Joe the money they promised him.”
“Aside from anger, Joe isn’t worried — his name is not on the lease or legally tied to the restaurant,” the source continued. “If they are in a pickle financially or otherwise, Joe isn’t tied to it. He just wants nothing to do with them or the restaurant after being burned.”
Gorga’s partners have not responded to Us Weekly’s request for comment.
