Diner that Paterson mayor touted appears to have no construction permits

PATERSON — Mayor Andre Sayegh has been trumpeting the imminent reopening of a 10^th Avenue diner, but renovations have been taking place at the restaurant seemingly without the requisite city construction permits.

The work is being done at the building that once housed Mr. G’s Restaurant, which was owned by the late Russell Graddy, a prominent Paterson civil rights and community leader for more than five decades.

The property was sold last April, and among the investors is Sayegh’s former business administrator, Vaughn McKoy. The mayor last week posted on his Facebook page a photo of the interior of the diner, calling it “a sneak preview of the new and improved” diner.

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City officials earlier this month said they have no records of construction permits issued for the diner’s address.

On Tuesday afternoon, a construction worker stood on a plank that stretched across a scaffold, working on the diner’s roof area. Nowhere on the exterior of the building was the work permit that state law says must be posted in a prominent place at the construction site.

During the second week of January, contractors poured concrete and replaced the sidewalks in front of the restaurant. There were no permits posted on the building in that instance, either.

Sayegh did not respond when a reporter asked Tuesday about the lack of permits and whether city inspectors had issued any summonses.

Andre Sayegh, mayor of Paterson, announces the return of Mr. G’s Diner.

The building’s new owner, Yaakoub Hijazi, told Paterson Press on Tuesday that he was sure his contractors had their permits.

When asked why the permits were not posted as required by state law, Hiijazi told a news reporter, “You’re not an inspector. If the city has any concerns, they can contact us.”

“I want you to put this in the story,” Hijazi added. “It seems like you don’t want this diner to open, so you’re stirring things up.”

More: Mr. G’s family will battle plan to use his name on renovated Paterson diner

More: Classic Paterson diner Mr. G’s to return after closing permanently

Hijazi, who owns the Star Laundry around the corner from the diner, bought the restaurant property for $800,000 from the estate of Graddy last April. He said during an interview in January that he was spending another $1.2 million on renovations.

Dispute over using the ‘Mr. G’s’ name

Hijazi and Graddy’s daughters have been in a dispute in recent months over the new owner’s plan to continue using the name “Mr. G’s.” One of the daughters, Lenise Graddy, said last month that the new owner was trying to take advantage of her father’s legacy.

The daughter said in an email last month that McKoy, who is African American, was being used as “a shill front man … to hide the true identity of the owners of the new Mr. G’s Diner for fear that the majority of the customer base will not like the fact that the new owners don’t look anything like them, couldn’t care any less about the real Mr. G, and see this acquisition as a money grab.”

Russell Graddy, 88 moved to Paterson in 1946 when he was fifteen years old. A civil rights activist, Graddy helped organize and served on the security team during Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s visit to Paterson in March 1968. Graddy owns Mr. G’s on E. 18th in Paterson and two blocks on 10th Ave. between Madison Ave. and E. 18th will be named after Graddy. April 30, 2019.

Hijazi last month asked a reporter not to include his name in a story about the dispute with Graddy’s daughters.

The mayor has not identified Hijazi as the owner in his social media postings about the diner. But Sayegh on social media has talked about McKoy’s role in the project, thanking him and his wife, Marnie, a former high-ranking city school official, for their “unwavering faith in Paterson and for bringing back an iconic eatery.”

Vaughn McKoy did not respond to messages asking about the construction permits for the diner renovations. In January, McKoy issued a statement when asked about the diner name dispute.

“The investment we are making is not only in the renovation and restoration of the land and building, but also in the beloved Paterson community that gathered regularly for a meal and conversation at Mr. G’s,” McKoy said.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Diner that Paterson mayor touted appears to have no construction permits