Clone Wars

Meatball Shop Chef ‘Flattered’ by Forthcoming Competitor Meatball Factory

Holzman, outside the original Meatball Shop.
Holzman, outside the original Meatball Shop. Photo: Melissa Hom

It’s been a strange couple of days in copycat-restaurant news, and today, EV Grieve introduced yet another: It seems that a new meatball shop is coming to the corner of 14th Street and Second Avenue, and it’s from the owners of midtown restaurant Destino. A rep at Destino told EV Grieve that the restaurant’s tentative name is the Meatball Factory and, surprise, “the plan is to create a menu similar to the Meatball Shop,” and the restaurant “will put the Meatball Shop to shame.” We reached out to Meatball Shop chef and co-owner Daniel Holzman, who just opened the Meatball Shop’s second location. “We’re glad to see Meatballs being recognized for all they are worth, a rising tide lifts all boats and we are so happy to be at the forefront of this new trend,” he wrote in an e-mail, decidedly not biting. “As the originators of the Meatball-centric restaurant concept It is both flattering and humbling to see other people following suit.” [EV Grieve]

Related: What to Drink at the Meatball Shop, Opening Next Week in Williamsburg

Meatball Shop Chef ‘Flattered’ by Forthcoming Competitor Meatball