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Les Payne: The former Newsday editor’s work

Les Payne’s four-decade career at Newsday took him around the world and to the streets of American cities.

He served as a reporter, editor and wrote a column before retiring in 2006. He oversaw foreign and national coverage and was the editor or New York Newsday. He was part of the Newsday reporting team that won a Pulitzer Prize for “The Heroin Trail,” a series tracking heroin from where it was grown in Turkey to its victims on Long Island.

Payne died unexpectedly Monday night at 76. Here is a sampling of some of his work. You can follow the links in each section to read more.

The Heroin Trail

In a 33-part series that ran in 1973, Payne and his colleagues Senior Editor Robert W. Greene and reporter Knut Royce told the story of heroin on Long Island. “The full story, we believed, should focus not only on the victims of heroin but on those who profited by it,” editor David Laventhol wrote in the series introduction. The team went to the poppy fields of Turkey and followed the drug’s route to the United States. They spent three weeks learning Turkish before departing on the six-month reporting trip.

To Angry Turk Growers, Heroin is a U.S. Problem

Turkey’s opium farmers are openly resisting a U.S.-Turkish ban on growing of the poppy, Newsday reporters learned during two visits to the poppy fields last summer.

The villagers warned that unless their demands for greater technical assistance were met, they will again grow poppies from which opium, and ultimately heroin, is derived. Some officials estimated that the cost of such assistance would be $365,000,000 more than current American aid grants.

In a small village in Afyon Province, farmers showed Newsday reporters the seeds they had stored with which to grow fresh crops.

The farmers are bitter over the loss of their staple crop and believe the problem is America’s, not theirs.

“We have been cultivating opium for centuries and we villagers work with it every day,” one village leader said.

“Yet not one person in the village has ever tasted it…”

Click here to continue reading the first day of the series by Payne, Royce and Greene.

The farmers are bitter over the loss of their staple crop and believe the problem is America’s, not theirs.

Undercover with migrant workers

For one week in July 1970, Payne went undercover on a potato farm in Riverhead to report on the lives of migrant laborers. He spent the week under a pseudonym, “Bubba,” drawing from his experience as a child laborer in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where he was paid $2 for every 100 pounds of cotton he picked. In Riverhead, Payne laid irrigation pipes in the fields. He lived, slept and listened to the stories of a colorful group of farm laborers for a story that ran across four pages in the July 11, 1970 edition of Newsday.

Waiting for the Eagle to Fly: With Nappy Chin, Hoppalong Geech and Big Momma Rock . . . Undercover at a Migrant Labor Camp

I stood ankle-deep in raw garbage on the bed of the old dump truck pitching and buckling in the chilly morning air. There was a soft drowsiness about the dawn’s virginal sunlight creeping into the streets in fresh moteless shafts.

It was 6:45 a.m. Friday, the day before the Fourth of July, the day that “the eagle flies.” Payday: the climax of the migrant laborers’ week. I had waited for the day for what seemed like a month. The other days had all been self-contained, each with its own strange beauty, each with its special heartbreak.

There were days during the week when we drained water from irrigation pipes, holding them over our heads like zoo keepers burping giant boa constrictors. Days when we ate pork scraps, drank wine at breakfast time, fought and sneaked into the drive-in movie at night. The nights at camp were the same as the days, spinning in an endless swirl of smoking, drinking and fighting, loving, shooting craps and dreaming.

Click here to continue reading the series.

I had waited for the day for what seemed like a month. The other days had all been self-contained, each with its own strange beauty, each with its special heartbreak.

The columns

Payne was known as a champion for racial equality and his widely read opinion column was renowned for incisive critiques. Writing of his own lens through which he viewed — and wrote about — the world, Payne harked back to his growing up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. “As a columnist, I draw from that deep, murky well that was Tuscaloosa, my adolescent days in Hartford, a hitch as an artillery Ranger captain in Texas and Vietnam, my years as an itinerant correspondent at home and overseas — my life growing up in black America.” Here are a few excerpts from his columns:

Les Payne on the racial beating of a black Marine and a white friend at a Centereach bar in a Sept.12, 1999, Newsday column:

By the time police restored what passes for order in these parts, Jean-Pierre and his buddies were hospital-bound, nursing a broken nose, bruises, burning eyes. Given the fury of the mob attack and the provocative slurs, Suffolk police concluded that the only reason Jean-Pierre was attacked was because he was black. “Could this be possible on Long Island? Granted this model of America’s suburbia was created as an exclusive white township, but that was 50 years ago. Those ostriches serving on lily-white town boards — not to mention certain other Long Island power brokers — would suggest that this incident could have been a mere anomaly. “The attack in the Road House is but a blunt metaphor for what African-Americans face daily in this suburbian Valhalla. It’s an experience I’ve worked mightily, against extraordinary resistance, to expose in this space over the years.”

Payne on the police beating of Rodney King in a March 10, 1991, column:

“There is a gathering of rage out there among African-Americans who truly suffer from such widespread injustice. Should it continue to go unpunished, it might well explode – and one day soon.”

Payne writing on Sept. 23, 1990, about experiencing housing bias on Long Island in the 1970s:

“After class, we sped through the night’s drizzle and bounced up the stairs to the landlady’s flat. When she opened the door I saw the look that I have seen often on the face of my white countrymen. It was the look of rejection, hatred, scorn, dread, contempt, pale ire, even fear. There was no mistaking it. ”’I’m sorry, the place is rented,’” she said. “You can have your deposit back.”

Payne in a column on June 16, 2008, on the possibilty of America electing its first black president:

“The election of Barack Obama as president would no more end the racial divide in America than the fielding of Jackie Robinson as a Brooklyn Dodger did back in 1947. … Voters may well see Obama as the better hope for the nation not because of his race but despite it. If nothing else, eight years of Bush-Cheney have shown that being white is just not enough.”

When she opened the door I saw the look that I have seen often on the face of my white countrymen. It was the look of rejection, hatred, scorn, dread, contempt, pale ire, even fear.

Soweto

In 1976, Payne went on an extensive trip of South Africa and filed a series of reports on the Soweto uprising. Among wider grievances against the government’s racial discrimination, the youth were protesting that South African whites between the ages of 7 and 16 were required to go to school, while education for blacks was discouraged. Police would go on to raid homes and arrest teenagers. Many of the youth went into hiding. Hundreds of students would flee the state. Hundreds would be killed — a toll the government would attempt to conceal, Payne reported.

On the run in Soweto

Tihopheto Modise, 17, is hiding and running from the South African police. He is a high school student and a leader of the activist group that organized student boycotts here and workers’ strikes in Johannesburg.

Most Soweto student leaders are in jail. Others, like Modise, are hotly pursued by police. The remainder have fled to Europe and other African states. Swaziland granted asylum to 92 Soweto student leaders on Wednesday.

Modise is well known to the police. A slim, handsome African, he seems unconcerned about the dangers of his life as a fugitive. He dresses casually in turtleneck sweaters and slacks, avoiding the dashikis and sandals police consider to be the uniform of militants.

Click here to read more from Payne’s reporting in Soweto.

How will you spend your tax refund?

Tax professional and tax preparation firm owner Alicia Utley reaches for tax forms on Jan. 14, 2017, in Boulder, Colo. Credit: AP / Brennan Linsley

Individual refunds averaged around $2,896 last tax season, according to the IRS.

Some people use tax refunds to cover bills and pay down debt, while others sock it away for a rainy day or splurge on something exciting. If you received a refund or are expecting to get one this year, how do you plan to spend it?

If you haven’t filed your taxes yet, this year’s deadline is Tuesday, April 17. And if you’re looking for ideas on how to spend your tax refund, here are some ideas to get you started.

Submit a response

Thank you for your submission. Check back soon to see if it was posted.

Please respond in 250 words or less. Your response becomes the property of Newsday Media Group. It will be edited and may be republished in all media.

Your take: How will the new tax law change LI?

The new federal tax code caps deductions for state and local taxes at $10,000. There are predictions that these limitations will lower real estate values and squeeze school district funding on Long Island. Others are not so worried, citing lower tax rates and other benefits that will put more money in people’s pockets.

How has the new law changed your personal finances?

Submit your response

Thank you for your submission. Check back soon to see if it was posted.

Please respond in 250 words or less. Your response becomes the property of Newsday Media Group. It will be edited and may be republished in all media.

NYCurious: Answers to your burning questions

Intro here. You have questions, we have answers. Intro here. You have questions, we have answers.Intro here. You have questions, we have answers.Intro here. You have questions, we have answers.

How does the affordable housing lottery work?

How does the affordable housing lottery work?

While competive, the application process is straightforward.

Is the IDNYC card worthwhile?

Is the IDNYC card worthwhile?

Yes to free memberships, no to valid ID for beer.

How do we get our water?

How do we get our water?

Behind each drop of water is quite a journey.

How to score Broadway tickets for less

How to score Broadway tickets for less

You can win your way into a show for as little as $10 per seat.

Who's responsible for shoveling snow?

Who's responsible for shoveling snow?

The city's regulations apply to tenants and owners.

Recycling ... how/what/where?

Recycling ... how/what/where?

Yes to that plastic toy, no to that Capri Sun container.

How do I become a Rockette?

How do I become a Rockette?

If you can do 300 kicks in 90 minutes, you’re on your way.

Why can't we go up the Statue of Liberty's torch?

Why can't we go up the Statue of Liberty's torch?

The reason dates to WWI.

Power on trial: Who’s who in the Mangano-Venditto trial

Key figures in the ongoing political corruption trial of former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, his wife, Linda, and former Town of Oyster Bay Supervisor John Venditto.

The accused:

Edward Mangano

Former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano was arrested and charged in federal court in Central Islip in October 2016 with conspiracy, bribery, wire fraud and extortion in an alleged scheme to award Mangano’s longtime friend and restaurateur Harendra Singh with county contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to provide catering to county agencies in exchange for “bribes and kickbacks” including hotel and travel expenses, limousine services, free meals and other gifts for Mangano and his family, according to federal prosecutors. Some of the gifts Mangano allegedly received, according to prosecutors, were a $3,600 massage chair, a $3,300 ergonomic office chair, a $7,300 Panerai Luminor watch for one of his sons and the installation of hardwood flooring in his master bedroom.

Mangano, 55, of Bethpage, previously a part-time county legislator and “of counsel” to the Uniondale law firm Rivkin Radler, won the county executive seat in an upset in November 2009 and was re-elected in 2013. The two-term executive, a Republican, refused calls from members of his own party to step down after his indictment. Mangano, who pleaded not guilty, faces up to 20 years in prison. He has two children with wife, Linda. Mangano, who called the allegations “ridiculous” after his arrest, told reporters: “America’s the greatest country in the world. And you’ll have an opportunity to hear everything and decide for yourselves. God bless you.”


Linda Mangano

The wife of Edward Mangano and the editor and publisher of the Bethpage Tribune newspaper was arrested in October 2016 and charged with making false statements, conspiracy, and obstruction of justice under the same federal indictment as her husband. Prosecutors said Linda Mangano, 54, of Bethpage, received more than $450,000 from a no-show job provided by restaurateur Singh as a “food taster” from April 2010 — months after her husband took office — to August 2014, in exchange for county contracts for food services that her husband steered to Singh. Additionally, according to prosecutors, the Manganos received free lodging and travel expenses for multiple trips to the Caribbean and other locales, as well as other perks. She has pleaded not guilty.

While prosecutors allege Mangano, a Bethpage native and mother of two sons, did “little to no work” for Singh, in a series of interviews with the FBI in 2015, she described her work as doing the “fluffy pretty stuff” for Singh’s restaurants. Prosecutors said Linda Mangano provided “fabricated examples of work” she performed for Singh. Mangano described her 25-year relationship with Singh to prosecutors as “that of a brother and a sister” and said: “He loves me and I love him.”


John Venditto

The former Oyster Bay town supervisor was arrested in October 2016 and charged with conspiracy, bribery, making false statements, securities fraud, wire fraud and obstruction of justice in connection to allegations that he solicited and accepted bribes from restaurateur and former town concessionaire Singh in return for helping him obtain town guarantees on $20 million in indirect loans.

Venditto, 68, of North Massapequa, was later accused in a superseding indictment of 21 charges involving securities fraud in the town’s public offering of more than $1 billion in securities between 2010 and 2016. In a separate civil action, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission civil complaint charged Oyster Bay, and Venditto, with defrauding municipal bond investors by concealing more than $20 million in loans the town guaranteed indirectly for Singh. Venditto, a Republican who was sworn in as town supervisor on Jan. 6, 1998 and resigned in January 2017, has pleaded not guilty and faces up to 20 years in prison.


Government cooperators and trial witnesses

The restaurateur

Harendra Singh, owner of several restaurants including H.R. Singleton’s in Bethpage and Water’s Edge in Long Island City, secretly pleaded guilty in October 2016 to bribing former Nassau County Executive Edward Mangano, former Oyster Bay Town Supervisor John Venditto and trying to bribe New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was not charged. De Blasio was investigated by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. Last March, prosecutors said they would not prosecute de Blasio after examining his fundraising practices but harshly criticized him for the practices.

Singh, 59, of Laurel Hollow, who pleaded guilty to several counts of bribery and wire fraud counts in relation to allegations that he bribed a former deputy Oyster Bay Town attorney with $50,000 in order to help him get an “indirect” guarantee from the town on millions in loans. He was also charged with defrauding the Internal Revenue Service by failing to report millions of dollars in wages paid off-the-book, as well as cash paid by his restaurants’ customers. Singh, a 25-year friend to the Manganos, admitted buying gifts, such as chairs and a $7,300 watch for one of the Manganos’ sons, and paying for trips for the family, as well as allowing them to eat and drink at his restaurants for free, according to court papers. He also said he paid Linda Mangano $450,000, which did not require her to show up for work and where “no work product was expected from her.”


The deputy town attorney

Frederick Mei, former deputy Oyster Bay Town attorney, secretly pleaded guilty in 2015 to a charge of honest services fraud in a scheme in which he received $50,000 in checks made out to cash, and payments on a $36,000 BMW lease in exchange for helping Singh obtain $32 million in indirect loan guarantees from the town for his business, including food concessions he ran at town beaches and a town golf course. Mei wore a wire for the FBI for several months in 2015, according to court papers. Mei resigned from his town job on Aug. 31, 2015.


The town attorney

Former Oyster Bay Town Attorney Leonard Genova was charged in March 2018 in a civil complaint by the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission with “defrauding investors” and violating securities law in connection with indirect town loan guarantees to Singh. Genova agreed recently to settle the charges. In a separate action, a federal judge issued an immunity order for Genova, requiring him to testify in the corruption case against Edward and Linda Mangano, and Venditto. Genova, of Massapequa, worked in Oyster Bay Town government from 1992 until January 2017, first as an assistant town attorney then as deputy supervisor and finally as town attorney


The defense team:

Kevin Keating is Edward Mangano’s attorney. Keating, who has offices in Garden City and Manhattan, has practiced law for more than 26 years, starting his career as a prosecutor in Manhattan. A graduate of Sienna College and Brooklyn Law School, he works as a defense attorney specializing in high-profile cases. Keating has practiced before the U.S. Supreme Court and also is qualified for what is known as a Learned Counsel to defend persons facing the death penalty.

John Carman, whose law practice is located in Garden City, is Linda Mangano’s attorney. A graduate of Colgate and St. John’s Law School, he is a former prosecutor with the Suffolk County district attorney’s office and a former associate of well-known Long Island defense attorney Stephen Scaring. Carman also takes on high-profile cases.

Marc Agnifilo is John Venditto’s attorney. Agnifilo is senior litigation counsel at the Manhattan law firm of Brafman & Associates. A graduate of Connecticut College and Brooklyn Law School, he is a former prosecutor in the Manhattan district attorney’s office and U.S. attorney’s office in New Jersey, specializing in organized crime and gang violence. He is an associate of high-profile Manhattan defense attorney Ben Brafman.

The government:

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lara Treinis Gatz, senior trial counsel at the U.S. attorney’s office, is prosecuting the corruption case against Edward and Linda Mangano and Venditto. A graduate of Ithaca College and Brooklyn Law School, she is a former assistant corporation counsel for the City of New York. At the Eastern District, Treinis Gatz specializes in political corruption and prescription drug crime.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Catherine M. Mirabile is prosecuting the corruption case against the Manganos and Venditto. She is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania and Suffolk University Law School in Massachusetts and was a former assistant corporation counsel for New York City. At the U.S. attorney’s office, she has served as chief employment litigator for the civil division and has been assigned to the criminal division — specializing in political corruption.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Raymond Tierney is prosecuting the corruption case against former Edward and Linda Mangano and Venditto. Tierney is a graduate of Brown University, where he was on the football team. He also attended St. John’s University Law School. He is a longtime assistant Suffolk County assistant district attorney and assistant U.S. attorney specializing in political corruption and gang violence. He is one of three federal prosecutors who successfully tried MS-13 members for the killing of a 19-year-old and her 2-year-old son.

TEST, DO NOT DEPLOY

Some of thewwwwwwwww nation’s largest and popular retailers have avoided coming to Long Island because of its competitive marketplace, expensive real estate and administrative red tape.

Two big names in the mid-Atlantic region, grocery giant Wegmans and convenience chain Wawa, have yet to put roots on the Island, even though they are expanding nearby.

Rochester, New York-based Wegfgfgmans, which was the only grocery chain to earn an “excellent” grade from Consumer Reports readers in a May survey, plans to open its first New York City store, in Brooklyn in 2019.

Philadelphia-based Wawa, which already is in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, is expanding in both states.

Roy Rogers, the Frederick, Maryland, restaurant chain that left Long Island in 2010, said it is in discussions to get back into the market, although it doesn’t have a timetable for its return.

Long Island’s last Roy Rogers was in Shirley. File photo

The Cracker Barrel restaurant group, of Lebanon, Tennessee, O’Reilly Auto Parts, of Springfield, Missouri, Bob Evans Restaurants, Dollar General, Ross Dress For Less and Waffle House are among the national chains not on Long Island.

The long process of getting government zoning approvals discourages some retailers from expanding here, said David F. Chinitz, president and CEO at Park Place Realty Group in Melville.

“It could take less than 45 days to get something approved elsewhere, but that same process could take two years or more here,” Chinitz said.

Nevertheless, Long Island’s higher-than-average median household income and dense population outweigh its drawbacks for many other chains.

“Disposable income generally offsets the extra costs, which is why most of the retailers are here,” Chinitz said.

Thirty nine of the 50 largest retailers by 2016 sales, according to the National Retail Federation, have locations on Long Island. Of the 11 that aren’t here, all but three are regional grocery stores.

The median household income in Nassau County rose more than 3 percent to $105,870 in 2016, up from $102,403, according to recently released U.S. Census Bureau data. Suffolk County’s median household income rose 4 percent to $92,933, from $89,488 in 2015.

Those figures compare with a national median household income of $59,039 in 2016.

Stew Leonard’s has recently opened two Long Island stores, overcoming challenges that new chains face.

The supermarket originally tried to open on Long Island in 2002 at Route 110 and Conklin Street near Republic Airport in East Farmingdale. The plans fell through after objections by local aviation officials, pilots and the state Department of Transportation, which said the location would put shoppers too close to the airport’s main flight path.

But when the Dave & Buster’s restaurant pulled out of Airport Plaza, Stew Leonard’s took that space for its first Long Island supermarket, in January 2016. It opened a second store, in East Meadow, in August.

“We knew we wanted to be on Long Island,” said Stew Leonard Jr., president and chief executive of the family-owned company.

“For our stores, at our size, to be supported properly, we need to have a pretty good population in the area,” Leonard added. “The Long Island market works because of that. Also, we’ve learned that Long Island is full of foodies.”

Online competition poses a challenge for retail expansion, said Herman A. Berliner, an economist and dean of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University in Hempstead.

“But when you look at the overall numbers, we have an amazingly low vacancy rate here, especially among our largest and economically most significant malls,” Berliner said.

Below are nine popular national and regional chains that are near Long Island, but are not here.

Wegmans

HEADQUARTERS: Rochester, New York

NUMBER OF STORES: 94

CLOSEST STORE: Brooklyn — coming in 2019

Long Island residents who have traveled or lived upstate or in New Jersey might have visited Wegmans grocery stores, which are known for big displays of fresh produce and prepared foods, attentive customer service and well-maintained stores.

In 2016 more than 7,800 people nationally contacted Wegmans asking for a store in their community, the company said.

The family-owned regional market, which turned 100 years old last year, has expanded along the Eastern Seaboard. It has 46 stores in New York, 17 in Pennsylvania and nine in New Jersey, among other locations. On Sept. 24 the company opened its 94th store, in Montvale, New Jersey, said Jo Natale, the company’s vice president of media relations.

In 2019 it will open a location in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. But the chain says it has no plans to come to Long Island.

Each store typically employs 450 to 550 workers, Natale said. For 20 years the company has made Fortune magazine’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Wegmans ranked No. 2 this year. — Carrie Mason-Draffen

Wawa

HEADQUARTERS: Philadelphia

NUMBER OF STORES: 640

CLOSEST STORE: Hackensack, New Jersey

Thirty miles — and multiple bridges — separate Wawa in New Jersey from Long Island.

But those 30 miles aren’t expected to shrink anytime soon.

The convenience store brews about 195 million cups of coffee and serves 300 million customers each year. They also eat more than 60 million built-to-order hoagies — that’s Philadelphian for

hero or sub — annually. The stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Wawa stores offer some of the same products, and are generally the same size, as 7-Eleven stores.

That’s a problem for any competitor interested in the Long Island market, retail experts said.

“7-Eleven is everywhere, and they’re very, very powerful,” said Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates Inc., a retail consulting and investment bank based in Manhattan. “People love their coffee and special drinks and are loyal.”

Wawa declined to comment for this story. But it continues to expand elsewhere, including in Florida, where it plans to open 15 stores this fall. — David Reich-Hale

Roy Rogers

HEADQUARTERS: Frederick, Maryland

NUMBER OF STORES: 54

CLOSEST STORE: Edison, N.J.

Roy Rogers, known for roast beef, fried chicken and hamburgers, was a fast-food mainstay in the Northeast in the 1980s. The chain had more than 600 U.S. locations in 1989.

But in 1990, Marriott Corp. sold the chain to Hardee’s Food Systems, and many Roy Rogers locations were converted into Hardee’s, McDonald’s, Boston Markets, Wendy’s or other brand stores.

By the mid-2000s, there were only about 40 Roy Rogers stores left, most of them located in the Washington, D.C., suburbs and along the New York State Thruway and New Jersey Turnpike.

As in an old western movie, however, Roy Rogers is making a comeback, expanding to more than 50 restaurants. The chain has built up its business in New Jersey and the Washington metro area.

Roy Rogers closed its last Long Island location, in Shirley, in 2010, but is planning a return.

“Probably the biggest obstacle, as in many markets, has been in finding the right location,” said Jim Plamondon, co-president of Roy Rogers Franchise Co. “We are pursuing that goal and are currently in advanced discussions with a prospective new franchisee.” — Ted Starkey

Cracker Barrel

HEADQUARTERS: Lebanon, Tennessee

NUMBER OF STORES: 645

CLOSEST STORE: Milford, Connecticut

If you’ve driven America’s highways, chances are you’ve passed a Cracker Barrel.

The restaurant features Southern cuisine such as Momma’s Pancake Breakfast and Chicken n’ Dumplins.

The chain’s locations each have a porch with rocking chairs and are decorated with about 1,000 Americana artifacts.

Most stores also feature an old-time general store, where the chain sells about 83,000 rockers, 3.4 million pieces of women’s apparel and 14 million thin-stick candies per year, the company said.

Its first location opened in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1969. Expansion in the 1990s and early 2000s brought it nationwide. About 40 percent of its 217 million annual guests are highway travelers.

“They associate themselves with highways,” said Thomas Shinick, an adjunct professor of marketing and management at Adelphi University in Garden City. “That’s not conducive to what we have on Long Island.”

The company doesn’t have a blueprint to expand to Long Island, said spokeswoman Breeanna Straessle, though it does plan to open up to nine restaurants over the next year.

There was speculation in 2015 the chain was coming to Commack, but the company said there was no such plan. — Ted Starkey

O’Reilly Auto Parts

HEADQUARTERS: Springfield, Missouri

NUMBER OF STORES: 4,934

CLOSEST STORE: West Haven, Connecticut

O’Reilly Auto Parts opened in the mid-1950s, during America’s postwar expansion into the suburbs. By 1975, O’Reilly had grown to $7 million in sales at nine stores in southwest Missouri.

The company grew more rapidly after it went public in 1993, and it now has stores in 47 states.

On Long Island, competitors such as Advance Auto Parts, Napa Auto Parts and AutoZone are already established. “There is quite a saturation of auto parts stores on Long Island,” Shinick said.

An O’Reilly executive said competition has never kept it from expanding.

“We have not been first to market, almost ever,” said Mark Merz, vice president of investor relations, financial reporting and planning at O’Reilly. “We just haven’t gotten to Long Island yet.”

Shinick said that if O’Reilly came to Long Island, it would face an additional challenge because the percentage of leased cars — 62.7 percent of new car acquisitions, according to consulting company IHS Market — is about twice the national average.

“The cars here are newer, and they [rarely] break down,” he said, and are under warranty when they do. — David Reich-Hale

Bob Evans Restaurants

HEADQUARTERS: New Albany, Ohio

LOCATIONS: 523

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: Bensalem, Pennsylvania

Bob Evans was a farmer and businessman in southeastern Ohio who started his food career by making sausage for his diner in 1948. He opened his first Bob Evans branded restaurant in Rio Grande, Ohio, in 1962. The company opened its 100th restaurant in 1983 and now has more than 500 locations in 18 states. Most are in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and South.

The privately owned chain pitches hospitality and food quality — the Bob Evans name is in the sausage display of many supermarkets — and its restaurants have all-day breakfasts and a country-living theme.

Bob Evans branched out in 2004 when it purchased California-based Mimi’s Café chain, a French-themed eatery. The company sold the 145-location chain in 2013 for $50 million, less than half of the original $103.3 million it paid for it.

Following the sale, the company went back to focusing on Bob Evans expansion. The company wouldn’t comment on growth plans. — Ted Starkey

Dollar General

HEADQUARTERS: Goodlettsville, Tennessee

LOCATIONS: 14,000

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: Bronx

Discount chain Dollar General, which bills itself as “America’s neighborhood general store,” was the 20th-largest chain in the country in 2016, with more than $20 billion in sales, according to the National Retail Federation. It is the largest retailer without a Long Island presence that isn’t a regional grocery store.

The first Dollar General store opened in in 1955 in Springfield, Kentucky, where no item sold for more than $1.

By 1989 the chain had 1,300 stores in 23 states. Most products cost $10 or less.

The company opened its 14,000th location in August. It now has stores in 44 states.

Despite the chain’s reach, none are on Long Island. The company didn’t respond to questions about its expansion plan. — Ted Starkey

Ross Dress For Less

HEADQUARTERS: Pleasanton, California

LOCATIONS: 1,340

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: East Windsor, New Jersey

The company launched in 1982 when six junior department stores in the San Francisco area converted into Ross Dress for Less. It is known as an off-price apparel and home fashion retailer.

Along with 1,340 locations in 36 states as of last year, the company also operates 193 dd’s Discounts locations. Ross launched those in 2004.

The store expanded eastward from its California roots and eventually moved into the mid-Atlantic during the 2000s.

The company said on its corporate website that it has a goal of reaching 1,500 to 2,000 stores nationwide, but it didn’t specify where the expansion would be. The closest Ross Dress for Less location to Long Island is in central New Jersey. The company didn’t comment on its expansion plans.

Last year Ross ranked 35th in the United States among retailers, with $12 billion in sales, according to the National Retail Federation.

Ross is the second-largest discount clothing retailer in the country, behind only TJX Cos., which owns TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. — Ted Starkey

Waffle House

HEADQUARTERS: Norcross, Georgia

LOCATIONS: 1,500+

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Waffle House opened its first restaurant on Labor Day weekend in 1955 in suburban Atlanta. It has grown into a Southern staple along interstates and towns.

The brand is known for its distinctive yellow signs, friendly service and inexpensive food that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Most locations feature a jukebox that patrons can use to play Waffle House-branded songs such as “Waffle House for You and Me.”

The brand is so ubiquitous in the region — and so well run —that FEMA has a “Waffle House Index,” which shows whether the company’s restaurants are functioning after a natural disaster such as a hurricane.

The company serves an average of 145 waffles per minute.

While there are no Waffle House locations in New York State, there are two roughly 100 miles west of the Island in the industrial Pennsylvania cities of Allentown and Bethlehem. — Ted Starkey

TEST, DO NOT DEPLOY

Some of the nation’s largest and popular retailers have avoided coming to Long Island because of its competitive marketplace, expensive real estate and administrative red tape.

Two big names in the mid-Atlantic region, grocery giant Wegmans and convenience chain Wawa, have yet to put roots on the Island, even though they are expanding nearby.

Rochester, New York-based Wegmans, which was the only grocery chain to earn an “excellent” grade from Consumer Reports readers in a May survey, plans to open its first New York City store, in Brooklyn in 2019.

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Philadelphia-based Wawa, which already is in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, is expanding in both states.

Roy Rogers, the Frederick, Maryland, restaurant chain that left Long Island in 2010, said it is in discussions to get back into the market, although it doesn’t have a timetable for its return.

Long Island’s last Roy Rogers was in Shirley. File photo

The Cracker Barrel restaurant group, of Lebanon, Tennessee, O’Reilly Auto Parts, of Springfield, Missouri, Bob Evans Restaurants, Dollar General, Ross Dress For Less and Waffle House are among the national chains not on Long Island.

The long process of getting government zoning approvals discourages some retailers from expanding here, said David F. Chinitz, president and CEO at Park Place Realty Group in Melville.

“It could take less than 45 days to get something approved elsewhere, but that same process could take two years or more here,” Chinitz said.

Nevertheless, Long Island’s higher-than-average median household income and dense population outweigh its drawbacks for many other chains.

“Disposable income generally offsets the extra costs, which is why most of the retailers are here,” Chinitz said.

Thirty nine of the 50 largest retailers by 2016 sales, according to the National Retail Federation, have locations on Long Island. Of the 11 that aren’t here, all but three are regional grocery stores.

The median household income in Nassau County rose more than 3 percent to $105,870 in 2016, up from $102,403, according to recently released U.S. Census Bureau data. Suffolk County’s median household income rose 4 percent to $92,933, from $89,488 in 2015.

Those figures compare with a national median household income of $59,039 in 2016.

Stew Leonard’s has recently opened two Long Island stores, overcoming challenges that new chains face.

The supermarket originally tried to open on Long Island in 2002 at Route 110 and Conklin Street near Republic Airport in East Farmingdale. The plans fell through after objections by local aviation officials, pilots and the state Department of Transportation, which said the location would put shoppers too close to the airport’s main flight path.

But when the Dave & Buster’s restaurant pulled out of Airport Plaza, Stew Leonard’s took that space for its first Long Island supermarket, in January 2016. It opened a second store, in East Meadow, in August.

“We knew we wanted to be on Long Island,” said Stew Leonard Jr., president and chief executive of the family-owned company.

“For our stores, at our size, to be supported properly, we need to have a pretty good population in the area,” Leonard added. “The Long Island market works because of that. Also, we’ve learned that Long Island is full of foodies.”

Online competition poses a challenge for retail expansion, said Herman A. Berliner, an economist and dean of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University in Hempstead.

“But when you look at the overall numbers, we have an amazingly low vacancy rate here, especially among our largest and economically most significant malls,” Berliner said.

Below are nine popular national and regional chains that are near Long Island, but are not here.

Wegmans

HEADQUARTERS: Rochester, New York

NUMBER OF STORES: 94

CLOSEST STORE: Brooklyn — coming in 2019

Long Island residents who have traveled or lived upstate or in New Jersey might have visited Wegmans grocery stores, which are known for big displays of fresh produce and prepared foods, attentive customer service and well-maintained stores.

In 2016 more than 7,800 people nationally contacted Wegmans asking for a store in their community, the company said.

The family-owned regional market, which turned 100 years old last year, has expanded along the Eastern Seaboard. It has 46 stores in New York, 17 in Pennsylvania and nine in New Jersey, among other locations. On Sept. 24 the company opened its 94th store, in Montvale, New Jersey, said Jo Natale, the company’s vice president of media relations.

In 2019 it will open a location in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. But the chain says it has no plans to come to Long Island.

Each store typically employs 450 to 550 workers, Natale said. For 20 years the company has made Fortune magazine’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Wegmans ranked No. 2 this year. — Carrie Mason-Draffen

Wawa

HEADQUARTERS: Philadelphia

NUMBER OF STORES: 640

CLOSEST STORE: Hackensack, New Jersey

Thirty miles — and multiple bridges — separate Wawa in New Jersey from Long Island.

But those 30 miles aren’t expected to shrink anytime soon.

The convenience store brews about 195 million cups of coffee and serves 300 million customers each year. They also eat more than 60 million built-to-order hoagies — that’s Philadelphian for

hero or sub — annually. The stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Wawa stores offer some of the same products, and are generally the same size, as 7-Eleven stores.

That’s a problem for any competitor interested in the Long Island market, retail experts said.

“7-Eleven is everywhere, and they’re very, very powerful,” said Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates Inc., a retail consulting and investment bank based in Manhattan. “People love their coffee and special drinks and are loyal.”

Wawa declined to comment for this story. But it continues to expand elsewhere, including in Florida, where it plans to open 15 stores this fall. — David Reich-Hale

Roy Rogers

HEADQUARTERS: Frederick, Maryland

NUMBER OF STORES: 54

CLOSEST STORE: Edison, N.J.

Roy Rogers, known for roast beef, fried chicken and hamburgers, was a fast-food mainstay in the Northeast in the 1980s. The chain had more than 600 U.S. locations in 1989.

But in 1990, Marriott Corp. sold the chain to Hardee’s Food Systems, and many Roy Rogers locations were converted into Hardee’s, McDonald’s, Boston Markets, Wendy’s or other brand stores.

By the mid-2000s, there were only about 40 Roy Rogers stores left, most of them located in the Washington, D.C., suburbs and along the New York State Thruway and New Jersey Turnpike.

As in an old western movie, however, Roy Rogers is making a comeback, expanding to more than 50 restaurants. The chain has built up its business in New Jersey and the Washington metro area.

Roy Rogers closed its last Long Island location, in Shirley, in 2010, but is planning a return.

“Probably the biggest obstacle, as in many markets, has been in finding the right location,” said Jim Plamondon, co-president of Roy Rogers Franchise Co. “We are pursuing that goal and are currently in advanced discussions with a prospective new franchisee.” — Ted Starkey

Cracker Barrel

HEADQUARTERS: Lebanon, Tennessee

NUMBER OF STORES: 645

CLOSEST STORE: Milford, Connecticut

If you’ve driven America’s highways, chances are you’ve passed a Cracker Barrel.

The restaurant features Southern cuisine such as Momma’s Pancake Breakfast and Chicken n’ Dumplins.

The chain’s locations each have a porch with rocking chairs and are decorated with about 1,000 Americana artifacts.

Most stores also feature an old-time general store, where the chain sells about 83,000 rockers, 3.4 million pieces of women’s apparel and 14 million thin-stick candies per year, the company said.

Its first location opened in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1969. Expansion in the 1990s and early 2000s brought it nationwide. About 40 percent of its 217 million annual guests are highway travelers.

“They associate themselves with highways,” said Thomas Shinick, an adjunct professor of marketing and management at Adelphi University in Garden City. “That’s not conducive to what we have on Long Island.”

The company doesn’t have a blueprint to expand to Long Island, said spokeswoman Breeanna Straessle, though it does plan to open up to nine restaurants over the next year.

There was speculation in 2015 the chain was coming to Commack, but the company said there was no such plan. — Ted Starkey

O’Reilly Auto Parts

HEADQUARTERS: Springfield, Missouri

NUMBER OF STORES: 4,934

CLOSEST STORE: West Haven, Connecticut

O’Reilly Auto Parts opened in the mid-1950s, during America’s postwar expansion into the suburbs. By 1975, O’Reilly had grown to $7 million in sales at nine stores in southwest Missouri.

The company grew more rapidly after it went public in 1993, and it now has stores in 47 states.

On Long Island, competitors such as Advance Auto Parts, Napa Auto Parts and AutoZone are already established. “There is quite a saturation of auto parts stores on Long Island,” Shinick said.

An O’Reilly executive said competition has never kept it from expanding.

“We have not been first to market, almost ever,” said Mark Merz, vice president of investor relations, financial reporting and planning at O’Reilly. “We just haven’t gotten to Long Island yet.”

Shinick said that if O’Reilly came to Long Island, it would face an additional challenge because the percentage of leased cars — 62.7 percent of new car acquisitions, according to consulting company IHS Market — is about twice the national average.

“The cars here are newer, and they [rarely] break down,” he said, and are under warranty when they do. — David Reich-Hale

Bob Evans Restaurants

HEADQUARTERS: New Albany, Ohio

LOCATIONS: 523

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: Bensalem, Pennsylvania

Bob Evans was a farmer and businessman in southeastern Ohio who started his food career by making sausage for his diner in 1948. He opened his first Bob Evans branded restaurant in Rio Grande, Ohio, in 1962. The company opened its 100th restaurant in 1983 and now has more than 500 locations in 18 states. Most are in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and South.

The privately owned chain pitches hospitality and food quality — the Bob Evans name is in the sausage display of many supermarkets — and its restaurants have all-day breakfasts and a country-living theme.

Bob Evans branched out in 2004 when it purchased California-based Mimi’s Café chain, a French-themed eatery. The company sold the 145-location chain in 2013 for $50 million, less than half of the original $103.3 million it paid for it.

Following the sale, the company went back to focusing on Bob Evans expansion. The company wouldn’t comment on growth plans. — Ted Starkey

Dollar General

HEADQUARTERS: Goodlettsville, Tennessee

LOCATIONS: 14,000

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: Bronx

Discount chain Dollar General, which bills itself as “America’s neighborhood general store,” was the 20th-largest chain in the country in 2016, with more than $20 billion in sales, according to the National Retail Federation. It is the largest retailer without a Long Island presence that isn’t a regional grocery store.

The first Dollar General store opened in in 1955 in Springfield, Kentucky, where no item sold for more than $1.

By 1989 the chain had 1,300 stores in 23 states. Most products cost $10 or less.

The company opened its 14,000th location in August. It now has stores in 44 states.

Despite the chain’s reach, none are on Long Island. The company didn’t respond to questions about its expansion plan. — Ted Starkey

Ross Dress For Less

HEADQUARTERS: Pleasanton, California

LOCATIONS: 1,340

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: East Windsor, New Jersey

The company launched in 1982 when six junior department stores in the San Francisco area converted into Ross Dress for Less. It is known as an off-price apparel and home fashion retailer.

Along with 1,340 locations in 36 states as of last year, the company also operates 193 dd’s Discounts locations. Ross launched those in 2004.

The store expanded eastward from its California roots and eventually moved into the mid-Atlantic during the 2000s.

The company said on its corporate website that it has a goal of reaching 1,500 to 2,000 stores nationwide, but it didn’t specify where the expansion would be. The closest Ross Dress for Less location to Long Island is in central New Jersey. The company didn’t comment on its expansion plans.

Last year Ross ranked 35th in the United States among retailers, with $12 billion in sales, according to the National Retail Federation.

Ross is the second-largest discount clothing retailer in the country, behind only TJX Cos., which owns TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. — Ted Starkey

Waffle House

HEADQUARTERS: Norcross, Georgia

LOCATIONS: 1,500+

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Waffle House opened its first restaurant on Labor Day weekend in 1955 in suburban Atlanta. It has grown into a Southern staple along interstates and towns.

The brand is known for its distinctive yellow signs, friendly service and inexpensive food that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Most locations feature a jukebox that patrons can use to play Waffle House-branded songs such as “Waffle House for You and Me.”

The brand is so ubiquitous in the region — and so well run —that FEMA has a “Waffle House Index,” which shows whether the company’s restaurants are functioning after a natural disaster such as a hurricane.

The company serves an average of 145 waffles per minute.

While there are no Waffle House locations in New York State, there are two roughly 100 miles west of the Island in the industrial Pennsylvania cities of Allentown and Bethlehem. — Ted Starkey

TEST, DO NOT DEPLOY

Some of the nation’s largest and popular retailers have avoided coming to Long Island because of its competitive marketplace, expensive real estate and administrative red tape.

Two big names in the mid-Atlantic region, grocery giant Wegmans and convenience chain Wawa, have yet to put roots on the Island, even though they are expanding nearby.

Rochester, New York-based Wegmans, which was the only grocery chain to earn an “excellent” grade from Consumer Reports readers in a May survey, plans to open its first New York City store, in Brooklyn in 2019.

Philadelphia-based Wawa, which already is in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, is expanding in both states.

Roy Rogers, the Frederick, Maryland, restaurant chain that left Long Island in 2010, said it is in discussions to get back into the market, although it doesn’t have a timetable for its return.

Long Island’s last Roy Rogers was in Shirley. File photo

The Cracker Barrel restaurant group, of Lebanon, Tennessee, O’Reilly Auto Parts, of Springfield, Missouri, Bob Evans Restaurants, Dollar General, Ross Dress For Less and Waffle House are among the national chains not on Long Island.

The long process of getting government zoning approvals discourages some retailers from expanding here, said David F. Chinitz, president and CEO at Park Place Realty Group in Melville.

“It could take less than 45 days to get something approved elsewhere, but that same process could take two years or more here,” Chinitz said.

Nevertheless, Long Island’s higher-than-average median household income and dense population outweigh its drawbacks for many other chains.

“Disposable income generally offsets the extra costs, which is why most of the retailers are here,” Chinitz said.

Thirty nine of the 50 largest retailers by 2016 sales, according to the National Retail Federation, have locations on Long Island. Of the 11 that aren’t here, all but three are regional grocery stores.

The median household income in Nassau County rose more than 3 percent to $105,870 in 2016, up from $102,403, according to recently released U.S. Census Bureau data. Suffolk County’s median household income rose 4 percent to $92,933, from $89,488 in 2015.

Those figures compare with a national median household income of $59,039 in 2016.

Stew Leonard’s has recently opened two Long Island stores, overcoming challenges that new chains face.

The supermarket originally tried to open on Long Island in 2002 at Route 110 and Conklin Street near Republic Airport in East Farmingdale. The plans fell through after objections by local aviation officials, pilots and the state Department of Transportation, which said the location would put shoppers too close to the airport’s main flight path.

But when the Dave & Buster’s restaurant pulled out of Airport Plaza, Stew Leonard’s took that space for its first Long Island supermarket, in January 2016. It opened a second store, in East Meadow, in August.

“We knew we wanted to be on Long Island,” said Stew Leonard Jr., president and chief executive of the family-owned company.

“For our stores, at our size, to be supported properly, we need to have a pretty good population in the area,” Leonard added. “The Long Island market works because of that. Also, we’ve learned that Long Island is full of foodies.”

Online competition poses a challenge for retail expansion, said Herman A. Berliner, an economist and dean of the Frank G. Zarb School of Business at Hofstra University in Hempstead.

“But when you look at the overall numbers, we have an amazingly low vacancy rate here, especially among our largest and economically most significant malls,” Berliner said.

Below are nine popular national and regional chains that are near Long Island, but are not here.

Wegmans

HEADQUARTERS: Rochester, New York

NUMBER OF STORES: 94

CLOSEST STORE: Brooklyn — coming in 2019

Long Island residents who have traveled or lived upstate or in New Jersey might have visited Wegmans grocery stores, which are known for big displays of fresh produce and prepared foods, attentive customer service and well-maintained stores.

In 2016 more than 7,800 people nationally contacted Wegmans asking for a store in their community, the company said.

The family-owned regional market, which turned 100 years old last year, has expanded along the Eastern Seaboard. It has 46 stores in New York, 17 in Pennsylvania and nine in New Jersey, among other locations. On Sept. 24 the company opened its 94th store, in Montvale, New Jersey, said Jo Natale, the company’s vice president of media relations.

In 2019 it will open a location in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. But the chain says it has no plans to come to Long Island.

Each store typically employs 450 to 550 workers, Natale said. For 20 years the company has made Fortune magazine’s list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For. Wegmans ranked No. 2 this year. — Carrie Mason-Draffen

Wawa

HEADQUARTERS: Philadelphia

NUMBER OF STORES: 640

CLOSEST STORE: Hackensack, New Jersey

Thirty miles — and multiple bridges — separate Wawa in New Jersey from Long Island.

But those 30 miles aren’t expected to shrink anytime soon.

The convenience store brews about 195 million cups of coffee and serves 300 million customers each year. They also eat more than 60 million built-to-order hoagies — that’s Philadelphian for

hero or sub — annually. The stores are open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Wawa stores offer some of the same products, and are generally the same size, as 7-Eleven stores.

That’s a problem for any competitor interested in the Long Island market, retail experts said.

“7-Eleven is everywhere, and they’re very, very powerful,” said Howard Davidowitz, chairman of Davidowitz & Associates Inc., a retail consulting and investment bank based in Manhattan. “People love their coffee and special drinks and are loyal.”

Wawa declined to comment for this story. But it continues to expand elsewhere, including in Florida, where it plans to open 15 stores this fall. — David Reich-Hale

Roy Rogers

HEADQUARTERS: Frederick, Maryland

NUMBER OF STORES: 54

CLOSEST STORE: Edison, N.J.

Roy Rogers, known for roast beef, fried chicken and hamburgers, was a fast-food mainstay in the Northeast in the 1980s. The chain had more than 600 U.S. locations in 1989.

But in 1990, Marriott Corp. sold the chain to Hardee’s Food Systems, and many Roy Rogers locations were converted into Hardee’s, McDonald’s, Boston Markets, Wendy’s or other brand stores.

By the mid-2000s, there were only about 40 Roy Rogers stores left, most of them located in the Washington, D.C., suburbs and along the New York State Thruway and New Jersey Turnpike.

As in an old western movie, however, Roy Rogers is making a comeback, expanding to more than 50 restaurants. The chain has built up its business in New Jersey and the Washington metro area.

Roy Rogers closed its last Long Island location, in Shirley, in 2010, but is planning a return.

“Probably the biggest obstacle, as in many markets, has been in finding the right location,” said Jim Plamondon, co-president of Roy Rogers Franchise Co. “We are pursuing that goal and are currently in advanced discussions with a prospective new franchisee.” — Ted Starkey

Cracker Barrel

HEADQUARTERS: Lebanon, Tennessee

NUMBER OF STORES: 645

CLOSEST STORE: Milford, Connecticut

If you’ve driven America’s highways, chances are you’ve passed a Cracker Barrel.

The restaurant features Southern cuisine such as Momma’s Pancake Breakfast and Chicken n’ Dumplins.

The chain’s locations each have a porch with rocking chairs and are decorated with about 1,000 Americana artifacts.

Most stores also feature an old-time general store, where the chain sells about 83,000 rockers, 3.4 million pieces of women’s apparel and 14 million thin-stick candies per year, the company said.

Its first location opened in Lebanon, Tennessee, in 1969. Expansion in the 1990s and early 2000s brought it nationwide. About 40 percent of its 217 million annual guests are highway travelers.

“They associate themselves with highways,” said Thomas Shinick, an adjunct professor of marketing and management at Adelphi University in Garden City. “That’s not conducive to what we have on Long Island.”

The company doesn’t have a blueprint to expand to Long Island, said spokeswoman Breeanna Straessle, though it does plan to open up to nine restaurants over the next year.

There was speculation in 2015 the chain was coming to Commack, but the company said there was no such plan. — Ted Starkey

O’Reilly Auto Parts

HEADQUARTERS: Springfield, Missouri

NUMBER OF STORES: 4,934

CLOSEST STORE: West Haven, Connecticut

O’Reilly Auto Parts opened in the mid-1950s, during America’s postwar expansion into the suburbs. By 1975, O’Reilly had grown to $7 million in sales at nine stores in southwest Missouri.

The company grew more rapidly after it went public in 1993, and it now has stores in 47 states.

On Long Island, competitors such as Advance Auto Parts, Napa Auto Parts and AutoZone are already established. “There is quite a saturation of auto parts stores on Long Island,” Shinick said.

An O’Reilly executive said competition has never kept it from expanding.

“We have not been first to market, almost ever,” said Mark Merz, vice president of investor relations, financial reporting and planning at O’Reilly. “We just haven’t gotten to Long Island yet.”

Shinick said that if O’Reilly came to Long Island, it would face an additional challenge because the percentage of leased cars — 62.7 percent of new car acquisitions, according to consulting company IHS Market — is about twice the national average.

“The cars here are newer, and they [rarely] break down,” he said, and are under warranty when they do. — David Reich-Hale

Bob Evans Restaurants

HEADQUARTERS: New Albany, Ohio

LOCATIONS: 523

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: Bensalem, Pennsylvania

Bob Evans was a farmer and businessman in southeastern Ohio who started his food career by making sausage for his diner in 1948. He opened his first Bob Evans branded restaurant in Rio Grande, Ohio, in 1962. The company opened its 100th restaurant in 1983 and now has more than 500 locations in 18 states. Most are in the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and South.

The privately owned chain pitches hospitality and food quality — the Bob Evans name is in the sausage display of many supermarkets — and its restaurants have all-day breakfasts and a country-living theme.

Bob Evans branched out in 2004 when it purchased California-based Mimi’s Café chain, a French-themed eatery. The company sold the 145-location chain in 2013 for $50 million, less than half of the original $103.3 million it paid for it.

Following the sale, the company went back to focusing on Bob Evans expansion. The company wouldn’t comment on growth plans. — Ted Starkey

Dollar General

HEADQUARTERS: Goodlettsville, Tennessee

LOCATIONS: 14,000

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: Bronx

Discount chain Dollar General, which bills itself as “America’s neighborhood general store,” was the 20th-largest chain in the country in 2016, with more than $20 billion in sales, according to the National Retail Federation. It is the largest retailer without a Long Island presence that isn’t a regional grocery store.

The first Dollar General store opened in in 1955 in Springfield, Kentucky, where no item sold for more than $1.

By 1989 the chain had 1,300 stores in 23 states. Most products cost $10 or less.

The company opened its 14,000th location in August. It now has stores in 44 states.

Despite the chain’s reach, none are on Long Island. The company didn’t respond to questions about its expansion plan. — Ted Starkey

Ross Dress For Less

HEADQUARTERS: Pleasanton, California

LOCATIONS: 1,340

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: East Windsor, New Jersey

The company launched in 1982 when six junior department stores in the San Francisco area converted into Ross Dress for Less. It is known as an off-price apparel and home fashion retailer.

Along with 1,340 locations in 36 states as of last year, the company also operates 193 dd’s Discounts locations. Ross launched those in 2004.

The store expanded eastward from its California roots and eventually moved into the mid-Atlantic during the 2000s.

The company said on its corporate website that it has a goal of reaching 1,500 to 2,000 stores nationwide, but it didn’t specify where the expansion would be. The closest Ross Dress for Less location to Long Island is in central New Jersey. The company didn’t comment on its expansion plans.

Last year Ross ranked 35th in the United States among retailers, with $12 billion in sales, according to the National Retail Federation.

Ross is the second-largest discount clothing retailer in the country, behind only TJX Cos., which owns TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. — Ted Starkey

Waffle House

HEADQUARTERS: Norcross, Georgia

LOCATIONS: 1,500+

CLOSEST TO LONG ISLAND: Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Waffle House opened its first restaurant on Labor Day weekend in 1955 in suburban Atlanta. It has grown into a Southern staple along interstates and towns.

The brand is known for its distinctive yellow signs, friendly service and inexpensive food that is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Most locations feature a jukebox that patrons can use to play Waffle House-branded songs such as “Waffle House for You and Me.”

The brand is so ubiquitous in the region — and so well run —that FEMA has a “Waffle House Index,” which shows whether the company’s restaurants are functioning after a natural disaster such as a hurricane.

The company serves an average of 145 waffles per minute.

While there are no Waffle House locations in New York State, there are two roughly 100 miles west of the Island in the industrial Pennsylvania cities of Allentown and Bethlehem. — Ted Starkey

Feed Me TV Season 3

Feed Me TV Newsday’s Pervaiz Shallwani brings you the scoop on Long Island’s dining scene

Eddie Villatoro grew up watching his father’s immigrant dreams come true inside their family’s pupusa shop in Glen Cove. Using that childhood inspiration, this executive chef has achieved his own dreams inside the kitchen at one of Long Island’s finest steakhouses, all while passing down the same yearning of a bright culinary career to the next generation in the Villatoro family.

 

There was a time when Atlantic Terminal was just a transit hub to travel somewhere cooler. But now that Barclays Center is next door, the dining scene is alive and vibrant, making this a destination spot all on its own.

Everyone’s favorite Italian grandmother invites us on a trip down memory lane, experiencing her story through the foods of her childhood, one shop at a time throughout Queens.

When you see foie gras on a menu in the United States, it is most likely because of Michael Ginor. Many Long Islanders know him as the founder of Lola in Great Neck, but are unaware of his other life as the largest foie gras operator in the country.

In the past two years, Oyster Bay has morphed from a sleepy North Shore hamlet into one of LI’s hottest places to dine.

Long Island nightlife has recently evolved. Innovative bartenders are persuading hesitant diners across the island to try their imaginative craft cocktails, converting more and more fans to the movement.

What is your favorite memory of
Toys R Us?

Going to Toys R Us, “the biggest toy store there is, gee whiz!” has created decades of memories for kids and adults alike. Now the major retailer is poised to close or sell more than 800 U.S. stores.

Share your memories of a favorite toy you got from there, or from hunting the aisles on Christmas Eve or other nostalgic moments.

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