President Trump sends tweet of support to St. James pizzeria owner

Caliguri told News 12 since the tweet, business has been booming. He says he is serving customers from Westchester and even getting calls of support from Australia.

News 12 Staff

Jul 30, 2020, 9:09 PM

Updated 1,532 days ago

Share:

After sending a controversial tweet suggesting an Election Day delay, President Trump followed that by giving a shoutout to a Suffolk pizzeria.
Trump tweeted, "Support Patio Pizza and its wonderful owner, Guy Caligiuri, in St. James, Long Island (N.Y.). Great Pizza!!!"
The post comes in the wake of controversy that arose from a "Keep America Great" flag hanging in the back oh his restaurant. Caliguri says a customer told him they lost a customer over the flag, and the controversy propelled far enough to land him on a Fox Business segment.
"She didn't like it. She said you just lost a customer and I'm an administrator of a social mom's local page and I'm going to post this on and I'm going to put you out of business," he says.
Caliguri told News 12 since the tweet, business has been booming. He says he is serving customers from Westchester and even getting calls of support from Australia.
"The phones have been ringing off the hook, they haven't stopped ... I mean it's really humbling, its amazing," says Caligiuri.
More than 100 supporters rallied outside Patio Pizza to back Caliguri.
"He was simply expressing his support for President Trump. So for someone to come in here and berate him like that was really not the right thing," says Randy Beliant, of Port Jefferson Station.
Some critics have accused Trump of unethical conduct for promoting the pizzeria.
But for now, sales are up and Caligiuri says his flag is staying put.