Photo: James Rojas (WBZ)
NORWOOD, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Days after the arrest of a Boston pizza chain owner on forced labor charges, the owner of a Norwood pizzeria with the same name is assuring customers that there is no affiliation between the two.
On Thursday, police arrested Stavros Papantoniadis, the owner of Stash's Pizza in Dorchester and Roslindale. He was charged with one count of forced labor for allegedly forcing an undocumented employee to work for years while threatening deportation and subjecting him to repeated verbal and physical abuse.
Now, Steve Kesaris, the owner of Stash's Pizza of Norwood, is clearing up any confusion.
"Our local, regular customers know that it's under different ownership," Kesaris told WBZ NewsRadio.
Kesaris has independently owned and operated Stash's Pizza of Norwood since purchasing the property and business from Papantoniadis in 2019.
"We've had an occasional phone call here and there asking to speak to the former owner, but the staff that answers the phones conveys the message that we are not affiliated with anybody and such, and people understand," Kesaris said.
There is also a message at the top of the pizzeria's website that reads, "To Our Loyal Customers: Stash's Pizza of Norwood is separately owned and is not affiliated with any other locaitons. [sic] We have been separately owned since May 2019, and we try our best to provide great customer service to all! Stay well!"
Despite receiving a few trolling phone calls, Kesaris told WBZ that Papantoniadis' arrest has not hurt his business.
WBZ's James Rojas (@JamesRojasNews) reports.
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