High-Stakes Drama: Celebrity Restaurateur vs. Greenport in $5M Toxic Legal Battle

GREENPORT GAZES: ZACH ERDEM SUES OVER SHUT DOWN OF ZERDEM RESTAURANT

The Long Island village of Greenport, known for its picturesque North Fork scenery and small-town charm, has found itself in the midst of a scandalous battle with reality TV star and restaurateur Zach Erdem. The Turkish-born entrepreneur is seeking $5 million in damages from the village and its mayor, Kevin Stuessi, alleging that they unfairly shut down his Mediterranean restaurant, ZErdem, during one of its opening weekends.

According to Erdem's lawsuit filed in June 2025 with the Eastern District of New York, a group of 11 Greenport officials, including Mayor Stuessi, stormed into ZErdem on a Saturday night in June 2023 while customers were present. The mayor allegedly directed the "unlawful raid" and screamed at restaurant staff, causing chaos and disrupting business.

But what sparked this showdown? Erdem claims that village officials slapped his restaurant with bogus code violations, including accusations of running a hookah lounge, serving alcohol without a license, and playing music too loud outdoors. The Turkish-born entrepreneur calls these allegations "baseless" and argues that the village discriminated against him by failing to provide advanced notice of the alleged code violations.

Erdem's lawyer paints a picture of a sinister plot to target the restaurateur: "The mayor had it in for Zach from day one," the attorney claims. "He wanted to shut down ZErdem and make an example out of him."

This high-profile feud has been extensively covered by local media, with Erdem's reality TV show, Serving the Hamptons, featuring his Southampton restaurant, 75 Main, which has hosted A-list celebrities like the Kardashians and the Biden family. But it seems that ZErdem on Long Island was a different story altogether.

Erdem's lawyer maintains that the village officials were "targeting" him and trying to shut down the restaurant: "They didn't want Zach in Greenport, plain and simple."

The drama surrounding ZErdem has been ongoing for over a year, with both sides trading lawsuits. The village filed a lawsuit against Erdem in Suffolk County Supreme Court, accusing him of violating village ordinances by hooking up a camper to the building's electricity and using it to house employees. But Erdem claims that the camper was never wired to the building and that none of his employees stayed in it while it temporarily sat in the restaurant's parking lot.

The controversy even extends to allegations that village officials mistook a service bar outside the restaurant with an actual bar where drinks were being prepared. Erdem claims that this area was solely used to wash plates and store dirty tablecloths, not serve alcohol.

One of the tickets issued by the village, viewed by The Scholarly Note.com, said the restaurant was illegally selling alcoholic beverages at around 4 pm on June 2, 2023. Erdem responded with: "The place was not even open. That's how stupid they are. The place opens for dinner at 5 pm."

Erdem says that the village's decision to sue him over his alleged violation of New York state's liquor regulations unfairly delayed him in obtaining a license to serve alcohol at ZErdem. He secured the license in August 2024, after the Suffolk County Supreme Court dismissed the village's lawsuit in July.

The $5 million lawsuit claims that this "public spectacle" hurt Erdem's business to the tune of millions of dollars. The restaurateur admits that he was frustrated by the entire ordeal: "I didn't want to open a lawsuit for this mayor. I just want to be peaceful, have a business there and be part of the community and serve Greenport."

But it seems that Erdem's fight with Mayor Stuessi is far from over. A former code enforcement officer with Greenport, Bernardo Bolanos, has sued the village for wrongful termination, alleging that Mayor Stuessi directed him to "target" Erdem for building code violations while being lax with other businesses in the area.

The only public response to Erdem's lawsuit from the village was a statement from Brian S. Stolar, a lawyer representing the village: "The claims have no merit and the village will defend against any such claims in court."

The controversy has raised eyebrows among local residents, who are divided on the issue. Some see Erdem as a high-profile outsider trying to muscle his way into their small town, while others support him as a talented entrepreneur who deserves a fair shake.

One thing is certain: this is one juicy drama that won't be going away anytime soon!