Rena Ismail is the owner of the popular Italian restaurant Oregano, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The restaurant, which serves anything from homemade gnocchi drenched in creamy vodka sauce to a wood-fired four cheese pizza topped with truffle, has been around since 2011 with Ismail as the sole owner since ever since 2017.
Even though Oregano is still offering delivery and takeout, her business has taken quite a hit. To support her staff, she created a GoFundMe account, all of the proceeds of which will be split evenly amongst them.
“We were completely unprepared for COVID-19, as pretty much the rest of the world was. It was scary, unchartered territory, and we were all thrown into the confusion together,” says Ismail.
For delivery, Oregano is available on Seamless, Grubhub, Postmates, UberEats, and Ismail’s personal favorite, ChowNow—which only takes a small percentage of the restaurant’s sales. You can also place an order directly through the restaurant and come pick it up, as well. Currently, the restaurant is only operating Thursday through Sunday.
“We are doing our best to try to remain open so that at least a few of our staff can try to maintain some semblance of an income and normalcy,” she says.
If you’re in the Northern Brooklyn area, this local business needs your support. Oh, and did we mention Oregano offers gluten-free pizza and pasta options?
SPOILED NYC… Quarantine Eats!
