Smithtown Landing Country Club gets new concessionaire in 2023

After over 25 years, Lessing’s Hospitality Group is parting ways with a popular Long Island wedding venue.

The Smithtown Town Board recently approved Panico’s Community Market to be the new food service and catering concessionaire at the Smithtown Landing Country Club.

Lessing’s Hospitality Group will continue to operate at the venue until Dec. 31. Panico’s Community Market takes over as the concessionaire on Jan. 1, 2023.

“We were surprised as everybody else, we put in a very aggressive bid to stay,” said Steve Kirschbaum, Lessing’s director of catering. “It is what it is, we’ve been there a long time, and if the town decided to go in a different direction, we understand.”

Until the new year, business will continue as usual, Kirschbaum said.

Clients who booked events past Dec. 31 at the Smithtown Landing were offered the option to cancel with a full refund or move their event to another Lessing’s venue, of which Lessing’s promised to honor the existing contract.

“We’re sorry to be leaving, and we will treat our clients between now and the end of the year as we always do,” Kirschbaum said. “It’s been going very well, we’ve got a phenomenal response from all our clients that we had contracts with. We’ve been fortunate to move most of them so far.”

The golf course at 495 Landing Ave. in Smithtown is a municipal course owned by the Town of Smithtown and the new contract is set for five years, Kirschbaum said.

Although Lessing’s is sad to leave the venue, Kirschbaum said there are many special occasions and memories that the hospitality group can look back on, and feel lucky to have been a part of.

“So many clients have had events there, have had additional events at our other venues, so we’re hoping to keep our relationship with our current, past and future clients with the Lessing’s family,” he said.

Check back in with greatersmithtown.com about Smithtown Landing’s new concessionaire.