The Pat LaFrieda Wholesale Meat Company flourished in New York City for three generations, providing upscale restaurants (as well as the popular “Shake Shack” franchise) with high-end beef, lamb, veal, poultry, duck, and pork.
The business is now run by the younger Pat La Frieda. The partners are Pat’s father, Patrick Ralph La Frieda, and cousin Mark Pastore.
The purveyors decided years ago that they had outgrown their Manhattan location, a 5,000-square-foot facility on Washington Street in New York. They searched for another location in New York City, but there was “no more real estate,” Pat La Frieda said. They looked in the Bronx, but found that red tape made it poor choice. Now, they are happy to open at 3719 Tonnelle Ave., which sits underneath an overpass leading to Route 495 East.
“I think what New Jersey has to offer, believe it or not, it’s a newer state.” – Pat La Frieda
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In Manhattan, the business serves many upscale restaurants, but there are a few New Jersey customers as well. They include Dorrian’s Red Hand in Jersey City, Il Mulino of Atlantic City, Andiamo of Haworth, and the Franklin Steakhouse and Tavern of Nutley.
The new location includes 34,000 square feet and many new additions that their other space would not allow.
“I think what New Jersey has to offer, believe it or not, [is that] it’s a newer state,” said La Frieda. “Everything is newer; the roads are newer. This was a rundown building, but New Jersey was [friendlier] to us to [let us] knock it down and build something, whereas in the Bronx that’s not possible.”
Touring the facilities
Their New York location was a one-room operation. However, in North Bergen there will be a separate room where all of the meat will be processed and cut. Connected to this part of the building will be a separate area where steaks will be dry-aged, one of their specialties.
“We also make a hamburger that is unique to the industry in that we use only domestic whole muscles to do it, and we have a very cold process that makes our hamburgers and chopped meat,” said La Frieda. “My grandfather made it the same way.”
There is also a refrigerated warehouse and docks for trucks to pick up the product, something they did not have at their New York location.
Once fully operational, there will be about 500 deliveries a day of around 100,000 pounds of product.
La Frieda, his father, and his cousin also built a crash pad where they can stay in the case of a late night or an emergency.
Vegetarian art exhibit in old space
Due to a poor real estate market, their former location, listed for $31 million, has been difficult to sell. Instead they will retain a small office and lease the space to Gavin Brown, a good friend and art gallery owner.
Gavin Brown’s Enterprise will host its first exhibit “Go Vegan!” in May.
“I love the guy; I don’t care what he does,” said La Frieda, whose mother is a vegetarian. “We’re not opposed to vegans; we’re very liberal socially.”
So liberal that they allowed artists to come into their warehouse at night and take pictures as they processed meat, photos which will be used in the exhibit.
Expanding their business
Most of their New York employees will be coming with them to New Jersey, but they also hope to hire more as well. La Frieda also built a women’s locker room, because he said women make up 10 percent of their staff and are a bigger part of the industry than most realize.
“We have a lot of confidence in the state of New Jersey and the area of [North Bergen] to leave everything and come here,” said La Frieda. “In another week I’ll be the happiest guy in the world.”
Tricia Tirella may be reached at TriciaT@hudsonreporter.com.