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July 19, 2021

Iconic waterfront West Haven eatery site sells for $1M

PHOTOS | Michelle Tuccitto Sullo The empty site of the former Chick's Drive-In restaurant is poised for revitalization, as the property sold on July 16.
By Natalie Missakian

The former Chick’s Drive-In, West Haven’s iconic beachfront hot dog and seafood eatery that closed six years ago after the death of its owner, has sold to a group of local entrepreneurs.

The Amico Group LLC of North Haven bought the 6,700-square-foot former restaurant and the 2.5 acres of shorefront land it sits on for $1 million, according to brokers. The sale closed late Friday.

The property at 183 Beach St. in West Haven’s Savin Rock section has been vacant since closing its doors in 2015, just months after the death of its longtime owner Joseph E. “Chick” Celentano. 

Family members said at the time that it was Celentano’s wish for them to end the business after he died. 

The 1950s-era restaurant, famous for its Savin Rock-style split grilled hot dogs, lobster rolls and fried seafood, served as a gathering spot for generations of West Haveners and beach-going visitors in its heyday. 

“As long as you were at the beach, you made a trip every hour or so across the street for something to eat or something to drink,” said attorney Vincent Amendola Jr., a lifelong West Havener who handled the sale for the Celentano family.  

Brokers said Friday the new owners planned to open a restaurant on the property, but Christopher Marone, one of the principals of the Amico Group, said in a phone interview Monday that while restaurant use has been discussed, no final decisions have been made. 

"There are way too many questions that still need to be answered," he told New Haven Biz. "We're in conversations with city officials as to what exactly could go there. There are a lot of moving parts."

Marone, of North Haven, bought the property with partners Michael DelVecchio and Stefano Coletta, both of West Haven. Marone has been president and CEO of the New Haven County Credit Union since 2019, while both DelVecchio and Coletta have experience in the restaurant industry.

DelVecchio is the former owner of Bar Code, a bar and eatery in Orange, and is currently the Connecticut brand manager for Honey Bubbles sparking wine, while Coletta's family runs a restaurant in town, Marone said.

Marone said the trio has been investing in West Haven real estate for the last several years

"We just like where the city is going, and this is a special [property] because obviously Chick's is an iconic shoreline location. Chick Celentano was a close family friend to one of my partners," he said, referring to Coletta. 

 

Chick’s closing was part of a decade-long decline of West Haven’s once-bustling shoreline, which struggled to recover from the hit it took from SuperStorm Sandy in 2012. Much of Beach Street was submerged under water during the storm.

But in the last few years, officials have taken steps to bolster the shoreline against coastal flooding. This includes securing more than $8 million in state and federal funding to raise a stretch of Beach Street and First Avenue up to 5 feet. 

The first phase of that project has been initiated, and the city received $5.2 million in state bonding in 2020 to complete phases 2 and 3.

City Corporation Counsel Lee Tiernan told the New Haven Register that there’s been increasing interest from developers since the city began to raise the road.

Marone said part of the discussion with officials over the future use of the property hinges on whether the road will be raised above or below flood elevation. 

"It's obviously in a flood zone so we are in discussions with FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) to try to figure out the end use," Marone said. He said city officials have been cooperative in the discussions.

The Proto Group of North Haven brokered the sale of the Chick’s property for the seller. New Haven attorney Anthony Dicrosta and Wayne Hugendubel of Coldwell Banker in Orange represented the buyer.

The property was originally listed in August 2016 at $1.53 million.

This story has been updated to include comments from Christopher Marone, one of the buyers. Marone clarified that a final decision on use of the property has not been made. An earlier version quoted brokers saying it would be used for a restaurant.

Contact Natalie Missakian at news@newhavenbiz.com

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