The unfortunately short-lived Brooklyn’s Pizzeria, the New York-style pizza place on 7812 Old Georgetown Road in Bethesda, has a new name and new proprietors. It’s now called Red Tomato Pizzeria, and is owned by a group of partners who also run a carryout in McLean with the same name. Aside from a host of pizza options, the menu offers salads, calzones, strombolis, pasta dishes and entrees.
The pizzeria has no connection, however, to the nearby Red Tomato Café, a fixture on 4910 St. Elmo Ave. in Bethesda for 17 years. And that concerns owner Fay Namin, who said her attorney sent a letter on Monday to the owners of Red Tomato Pizzeria.
“It’s not right to have the same name,” says Namin. “A lot of my customers are confused. Everybody’s been telling me—‘Fay, are you moving over there?’” Namin said she has no problem with competition from a new pizza place. “The more traffic the better,” she said. “That doesn’t bother us. But it doesn’t make sense to do business under the same name.”
I stopped by the Red Tomato Pizzeria yesterday, and the man behind the counter said he was one of the owners, but declined to give his name. He said he hadn’t received a letter from Namin’s lawyer yet, and wouldn’t comment further. He did say, however, that customers have asked if the new pizzeria is related to the Red Tomato Café.
I’ll drop by again to try the pizza, but in the meantime, I hope Red Tomato Pizzeria knows that that location is a tough spot to do business—no matter what your name.
