A few years ago, a pizza deliveryman named Joey Hernandez, who was born in Queens, Queens, was delivering pizzas to customers in the city’s East Village neighborhood.
Now, Hernandez, like a lot of New Yorkers, works as a pizza chef.
He’s one of thousands of New York restaurants and bars that have been closed by the city since Mayor Bill de Blasio took office in February.
“It’s the worst time for any business, particularly small businesses, because you have no income, you have nothing to sell, and you don’t have much money to pay employees,” said Hernandez, 31, who is from the Bronx.
He was one of the last to open a pizza joint, and he now works from home, with his girlfriend.
He told me that his experience at Joey Crust was typical.
He had a day job as a barista at a pizza restaurant in Queens when he was just 16, but when he turned 18 he started a pizza place with his cousin, the chef, and the business quickly grew to include more than a dozen other small businesses.
“When I started Joey, I didn’t think that I would end up where I am today,” Hernandez said.
“I’m grateful to have my business and my friends in the community to support me.”
It took three years for the business to take off, and it’s now a thriving operation with three locations in the borough.
“The best thing is that there are so many people who support it,” Hernandez added.
“Every day I get to see people coming in and out of the restaurant and I’m grateful for that.”
The New York Times article about Joey said that “Joey’s is the largest restaurant chain in New York state.”
The Times says the company’s pizza crust is made with 100 percent fresh, local ingredients, which is “a huge plus.”
It also said that when people eat pizza at Joeys, they’re eating locally grown ingredients.
In addition to being a restaurant chain, Joeys is also a real estate company.
The company owns and operates several properties in the East Village, including an apartment building called the Jacksons in the former Home Depot space, and a high-rise building on West 57th Street that was once home to the Hotel Manhattan.
The site is currently owned by the developers of the Trump International Hotel and Tower.
But the real estate deal also includes a high school and a church.
The Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment.
“Joeys Pizza is a proud member of the East City,” a company statement says.
“We are proud of the quality of our pies, and we work closely with our community partners to support them in their efforts to keep their businesses open.”
The statement added that “the Joeys Pizza chain has served New Yorkers for generations and we thank them for their dedication and service.”
For Hernandez, the job that he loves the most is the food.
He said that he works around the clock to get his customers happy and healthy.
“You never know what you’ll get,” he said.
As a pizza guy, he’s not concerned with paying his employees, because they’re doing the job for him.
He doesn’t expect them to work overtime, and that’s why he does it.
“If I can help them do that, I will,” he added.
He has been a restaurant chef since 2009, and his restaurant has been open since 2013.
Now he’s trying to turn his experience into something bigger, and says he’s been able to do so because of his business.
“Now, it’s just me and my girlfriend and my business,” he explained.
“So we are really happy, and I think it’s great that I’m doing it.
I think this is what we should all be doing, you know, for our own happiness.”