Monday, May 14, 2012

Two Submissions For Roosevelt Island West Promenade Waterfront Food Concession, Riverwalk Bar & Grill Selected - No Submissions For Roosevelt Island Rowing/Kayaking Facility


As previously reported, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) issued Request For Proposals for a West Promenade Subway Pier food concession and a Rowing/Kayaking facility below the Queensboro Bridge on the East Channel. Submissions were due May 1. On May 2, I reported that there was one food concession proposal submitted and no rowing/kayaking submission.

Last Friday, I asked RIOC:
I am following up on earlier inquiry regarding the status of the Rowing/Kayaking facility for Roosevelt Island and the Waterfront Promenade Pier Food Concession. As you know, both were subjects of recent RIOC RFP's.

What is the status of the Rowing/Kayaking and Waterfront Promenade Pier Food Concession proposals?

Thank you.
RIOC Vice President of Operations Fernando Martinez replied this afternoon
No one responded to our Rowing/Kayaking RFP. We received 2 responses to the Waterfront Food Concession RFP. The owners of the Riverwalk Bar and Grill were selected to operate the concessions.
I followed up with:
Thank you for the update.

Who submitted the second proposal for the waterfront food concession and what is the reason for choosing one over the other?
Will update when answer received.

54 comments :

Gina Freddino said...

UGH!!!  Can't it be something better than the Riverwalk Grill?  Isn't one enough?  They are nothing better than a diner.  Very unhealthy food and not even cooked very good.

Rose Brannon said...

Hmmm....  Was Riverwalk even one of the two?  I'm curious what the other one was.  There's one or two things at Riverwalk that I like, and their deli sandwiches are very good, but some more variety on the island would have been so wonderful.  

alicep spaulding said...

Of course it's Riverwalk... they are the ones trying to keep food trucks off the island... wouldn't that have been a good alternative to just more of the same crap?

YetAnotherRIer said...

I am not surprised in the slightest. As everybody else here said, it would have been great to have some more variety. It's just going to be the same again. Pizza, burritos, hamburgers, sandwiches... I wonder who the second interested party was. Would the RIOC disclose this and make an argument why Riverwalk B&G was picked over the alternative?

theohiostate said...

I like the food at Riverwalk and Nonno's, but some variety on the island would have been nice.

Westviewer said...

The correct solution would have been to allow food trucks, of course, but Hudson-Related, backing Riverwalk, would not permit that.  We won't have anything better on the re-vamped Main Street, either.  Doesn't anyone connected with the running of this weird place realize that making it more appealing by providing some genuine variety would be better for everyone?  When are they going to realize that this place is part of New York City?  

CheshireKitty said...

The obvious choice would have been a seafood-oriented food vendor, possibly a food truck (for the sake of convenience).  The lobster roll truck would have been the perfect choice.  It is sad that RIOC cannot make a creative decision even in this simple matter.  

Westviewer said...

You are giving RIOC the benefit of the doubt by attributing the choice to lack of creativity.  I think a back room deal with Hudson-Related is far more likely. 

Salvatore Anthony Hoo said...

My name is Salvatore Hoo, one of the owner's of Riverwalk Bar and Grill. Have any of you commenting bothered to ask us what our plan is? Do any of you commenting realize that the food that we plan on putting there is completely different than the food at the Bar?   Obviously the answer is NO. We plan on selling seafood like lobster rolls etc on the water front and bringing in great BBQ. None of the food that will be sold on the waterfront will be the same as the bar menu.  
      We opened up Riverwalk Bar and Grill in August of 2009 in an empty space that no one else cared to invest in. We believed enough in the island to make a investment and take a major risk in taking the space. I fell in love with the island and soon became a resident.  I have lived here for 2 years and want nothing but the best for Roosevelt Island and my fellow residents. I think we have done a great job of making Riverwalk a neighborhood place, a place where many feel at home and have an opportunity to meet other residents. I have made so many friends here and plan on living here for a very long time.  It bothers me to hear the ignorance of people commenting speaking out against us instead of realizing that we are trying to give you new options. Please in the future just ask us instead of  jumping to conclusions.

RooseveltIslander said...

 Thanks for the info. bbq and lobster roll options are great. What else can you tell us about your plans for the area?

YetAnotherRIer said...

Thanks for the info, Salvatore. There is a problem, though. Neither Nonno's nor The Bar & Grill offer really good food. It is okay food but nothing to write home about. Now that you got the waterfront location I am not holding my breath that we get anything different there, quality wise.

I do agree, though, that you guys really care for the neighborhood and you invested a lot into it. I am grateful for this.

Anonymous said...

I don't understand. Where did you get your name from

Westviewer said...

Thank you for your response, Mr. Hoo.  I am very glad to hear that you thinking of expanding our food options here rather than serving up the same old things.   I hope the quality will be better than what you currently offer at Riverwalk Bar and Grill. 

Westviewer said...

I think the reason people jumped to conclusions was the principle of "past is prologue."

Salvatore Anthony Hoo said...

Westviewer, i am sorry to hear that the food at Riverwalk is not up to your standards. I grew up in new york and have frequented sports bars and similar eating establishments all over manhattan for 10 years and find that our food meets and in many places exceeds the quality I have come across. I'm not sure what you are expecting from a sports bar but I do know that whenever I am at Riverwalk and speaking to customers that they seem to go out of their way to tell me how pleased they are with our menu.

Westviewer said...

We both realize that I am not your target audience.   

Marissa Leigh said...

YetAnotherRler, 
I too live on Roosevelt Island and have been here  a little over a year. I agree with the positive impact that The Bar & Grill has brought to this island. The reason my boyfriend and I chose the island was because, being originally from a small city, we wanted something more neighborly and with a place to go that was close and provided us with a community like atmosphere.That place is clearly The Bar & Grill.
My boyfriend and I go to and order from The Bar all the time and as far as I know Nono's and The Bar are completely different so to classify them together is wrong. 
The Bar caters to a variety of tastes but mostly being sports/pub food. As far as I know they never try to be anything more than that. I have gone to multiple places in the city and can honestly say I have yet to eat a better burger! Also their wings are amazing - they even accommodate my variations and mix two sauces (medium and terryaki) together.
I would love to know what the islanders did before these two places opened up. I've been here a year and haven't even tried Trellis because why would I need to when I live in 405 and I can honestly say that I love Riverwalk's food. Whether I am ordering: a salad, lemon pepper shrimp being my favorite, Nachos, one of their many burgers, wings, pasta primavera, or one of the many specials they have I am always pleased. 
I think that you should be able to keep an open mind in that they are trying to expand the island into something better with more dining options. I look forward to eating at the new waterfront place. 

Marissa Leigh said...

If all of these people complaining that Riverwalk Bar and Grill got this place don't want it there and would have liked something better or different, why didn't you go to the meeting and share your opinions there. Its clearly too late to voice your opinion about the subject, and in hindsight always easier to bash something. Why not try to support RB&G in their attempts to make the island a frequent and fun/destination spot for Manhattan dwellers to come.

Everyone on here that are islanders and islanders themselves claim that we are a community and support one another, if that's the case shouldn't you support Riverwalk and the amazing people who run it? 

There are far worse things on the island to complain about than this........

Jonathan Sanchez said...

You shouldn't really be speaking to the quality of food nor the revitalization of main street if your suggestion is food trucks.  Not only is that silly but a complete contradiction of what you stated above.  We need owners, such as Mr. Hoo, to take vacant space and invest dollars.  Let's not discourage business owners from coming to the island.  An area will not turn around without people willing to put $$$ at risk.

Westviewer said...

You are right, and I've been waiting for 36 years.  In the meantime, I'd settle for a food truck. 

Jonathan Sanchez said...

Stop it...

Anonymous said...

Where in the world did you get the ideal that this island is a community and we all support one another ha ha ha ha ha. Are you nuts or just dumm

YetAnotherRIer said...

Well, we just have to agree to disagree. I've had their wings many times and they were okay. Not great. I had the burgers and the salads. It's okay. Nonno's, while, yes, they are different places, you can find similarities when it comes to the quality of the food. The pizza is okay. It is far from good, though. It's good enough for this island. Now, imagine how things would work out if there were competition in the same general location of the island, if the waterfront spot would have gone to a different provider. 

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