Get out your dry-erase boards, because you might need to diagram some stuff here, folks.
You know the original Grimaldi's location under the Brooklyn Bridge is being forced out after a landlord dispute, leaving behind its coal oven. You also know that the landlord said earlier this week that he was turning over the lease to someone "very well known."
Patsy Grimaldi himself will be running the pizzeria, to named Juliana's after his late mother. (Turns out my utter speculation in the Slice comments had the ring of truth to it.)
But wait, you say ... What do you mean Patsy Grimaldi is coming back to this space? Doesn't he already run it?
A Helpful Timeline to Sort Things Out
If only things were that clear cut.
1990: The original Grimaldi's opened in this year, then helmed by its namesake, Patsy Grimaldi
It was originally called Patsy's: Of course, there's also that other Patsy's — the original Patsy's in East Harlem and the mini chain of spin-off Patsy's, which started in 1994, after a group of investors bought the Patsy's naming rights from the original Patsy's in East Harlem. The original Patsy's arranged to keep its name and operations intact at this location, operating independently of the mini chain. (Every so often you'll hear someone refer to Grimaldi's under the Brooklyn Bridge as "Patsy Grimaldi's," though that's happens less and less often these days.)
1996: Patsy Grimaldi changes "Patsy's" to "Grimaldi's" after a 1995 lawsuit brought by IOB Realty.
1998: Patsy Grimaldi sells the original location and naming rights to Frank Ciolli.
Patsy Grimaldi opens Hoboken Grimaldi's: Patsy Grimaldi has a similar deal with Ciolli allowing him to use the Grimaldi name on his Hoboken pizzerias, as the two Grimaldi's in this Jersey city are owned and operated by Mr. Grimaldi and his business partner, Sean McHugh
2006: Patsy Grimaldi opens a slice joint in the Aviator Sports & Recreation complex at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. It soon closes.
2008: The first of the tax problems with Grimaldi's pizzeria
2009: Rumors circulate that Mr. Grimaldi is looking to open a pizzeria in Manhattan, to be named Juliana's. Nothing comes of it.
August 2010: Grimaldi's Brooklyn Bridge pizzeria faces eviction
October 2010: Patsy Grimaldi and Sean McHugh open second Grimaldi's location in Hoboken.
Earlier this week: Word comes that Grimaldi's pizzeria is moving just up the block, leaving its coal oven behind.
November 25, 2011: We find out that Patsy Grimaldi is reclaiming his old space
About the author: Adam Kuban is the founder of Slice. You can follow him as @akuban on Twitter.