Eddie's Pizza Truck Back On Roosevelt Island Tonight, RIOC Wants To Outsource Food Trucks and NY Times City Room Reports On Great Roosevelt Island Mobile Food Truck Drama
Image From Olya Turcihin
Good news for those of you who were missing and asking for Eddie's Pizza Food Truck over the weekend.
Image Of Eddie's Food Truck On Roosevelt Island Today
They are back today on Roosevelt Island in front of Starbucks on the West Promenade. I asked earlier today if they would come to Roosevelt Island on weekends but they said they do private events then but are very happy to be here at other times.
Unfortunately, La Bella Torte is not here tonight.
The NY Times City Room Blog reported today on the Great Roosevelt Island Mobile Food Truck drama. According to the NY Times:
... In many New York City neighborhoods, the sight of food on wheels is passé.and:
... But not so here on Roosevelt Island, the finger-shaped strip of land in the East River straddled by the Queensboro Bridge. It has only recently joined the ranks of communities catered to by upscale food trucks....
... “This refreshes the area,” said Pedro Cano, 46, a resident of the island for about a year, after buying two banana Nutella cakes from La Bella Torte.Also:
“There’s all this new stuff happening,” said Corinne Vope, 55, a Roosevelt Islander for the past six years. “You can just feel it in the air. It’s electric.”...
... And two restaurant owners – Alfonso DiCioccio, who owns Nonno’s Focacceria, and Jonathan Hoo, the owner of Riverwalk Bar & Grill – took particular issue with allowing the trucks to set up shop free only a few feet from their brick-and-mortar establishments.Click here for the entire NY Times article on Roosevelt Island Mobile Food Trucks.
“You put them smack dab in the middle of us,” Mr. Hoo said. “As a business owner, I’d rather them not be here.”
A number of times Mr. DiCioccio has sent two girls to flank the food trucks and distribute fliers promoting his restaurant to passers-by.
“If you’re asking me,” he said, “would I rather not compete? Sure.” But he added that he thought his restaurant offered better food for lower prices than the pizza truck....
What's the future of Roosevelt Island Mobile Food Trucks following the experimental July waiver of $345 monthly fee? The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Real Estate Committee (full audio web cast of meeting is here) discussed these issues during July 19 meeting. The result of the meeting was that RIOC will ask the NY Street Food Association to run a type of "food truck lot" with rotating trucks for different days of the week on the 3 West Promenade spots as well as other designated areas. It's still to be determined if NY Street Food Association wishes to operate a "food truck lot" on Roosevelt Island.
Here's the full Roosevelt Island Food Truck discussion at July 19 Operations Committee meeting. It's a very interesting view as to how decisions get made on Roosevelt Island.
86 comments :
If the NY Street Food Assn. agrees, does it mean that RIOC will rescind their additional fee?
No, RIOC will charge a fee to the Street Food Association
I certainly hope La Bella Torte & Eddie's Pizza will return in August and not deterred from all the hostility by business owners like Mr. DiCioccio & Mr. Hoo. We Islanders can decide whether we want to eat from their establishments or we simply choose to buy food from the street vendors. Roosevelt Island food options has been dull, boring and unchanged from one season to another. Not to mention some of those food who can always attract those loud Zogsport players & frat house happy hour beer environment. It is wonderful to see competitive and creative artisan trucks making an entrance to the community specially us tenants at Weill Cornell Medical Center's Southtown building, perhaps it would inspired complaining restaurant owners to be more innovative with their menu instead of complaining and acting hostile blaming RIOC for all decisions! They should have projected the flow of business and walk-in customers when setting up restaurants here. Instead, we often hear Mr. Hoo and their clan with "we are doing Roosevelt Islanders a HUGE favor with their pizzaria and Riverwalk grill, yet do not favor any competition even if they are serving boring food!"
I agree
Keep complaining Mr. DiCioccio and Mr.Hoo..you make simply awful pizza, which is really an insult to Roosevelt Island. Your pizza is just tasteless...why not take a trip over to Manhattan or Queens and see what you are up against.. think of whole wheat thin crust, quinoa crust, san Marzano tomatoes, healthy toppings, and much more.. so dont complain.. if you can make better Pizza than Eddie..we will come to you, ..right now you dont
Please know that Me and my brother Jonathan DO NOT have any ownership in Nonno's. We are part owner's in Riverwalk Bar and Grill and Pier NYC. Alfonso owns Nonnos with his father.
Again my brother and myself have never owned any part of Nonnos despite popular opinion. As far as the menu at riverwalk bar and grill we used to change about a third of the menu seasonally to keep it fresh for the islanders and what we found was that people became irate when an item they came to like was removed from the menu. After hearing this complaint multiple times when changing a portion of the menu we decided to pick a menu and stick with it and run weekly specials to keep new options availble for residents.
And with all due respect those zog sports teams are a huge part of our business since our customer base is limited to residents of the island and I know that most people aren't going to eat from the same food establishment every day no matter how wide the variety. Most people can't afford to eat out or order in every day and so the zog sports teams coming on to the island help support us most week nights.
Speaking of menu, can the Ronald Burger be added as a permanent menu item? The times it was available, it was quite good.
It is indeed popular opinion that Nonno's and the B&G are owned by one and the same group. But now I realize that Nonno's has a stake in the B&G but you and your brother have none in Nonno's. Makes sense, I guess, since I always see Alfonso at both places all time while I've never really seen you over at Nonno's.
Sal YOU must
Make alfonso understand he is dealing With THE new People on Roosevelt Island They are hipters. They Are Nothing Like THE Blue collar People in THE neighborhood Where Alfonso lives. YOU AND Your brother do understand This as You Know How to cater to these People
Amazing huh? The assumptions people make. The 3 of us are equal 1/3 owners of the bar and the pier.
Which one was that? Please refresh my memory as my chef handles the menu mostly. I will get it on special for you and let you know when it is available.
It's the faux big mac. Similar to
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2171302/How-make-Big-Mac-home-McDonalds-chef-explains-secret.html but without the middle bun. They did a great job with it - it was on the specials for a little while and occasionally they will do one by request. No need to force it on special for me, but if it's not a pain to prep, might be good to add as a standard item - it was one of the better burgers I've had at your place.
Alfonso needs to do What YOU Are doing Come on This site. And relate to these hipters Like You do.
Yes, I'm SO HAPPY people are finally waking up! you guys make awful food and your animosity is not appreciated.
Thank you, glad to see people are finally speaking up. I'm boycotting ALL these guys and their pathetic businesses, monopolizing. Can you believe they gave the pizza truck a hard time? They are shameless.
So you're basically saying Roosevelt Island residents can not afford your food. You opened a restaurant for the zoc sports team, not for the community. I guess you must be really afraid of them getting drunk during the happy hour if you're supporting tasers. Lol
I can't believe Alfonso gave the pizza truck a hard time. What kind of BULLYING is that? Please do not frequent their locales. They need to learn what competition is and make their food better and cheaper. They also need to learn that other business have EQUAL right to operate on Roosevelt Island without being harassed. I am really glad this is coming out. They instigate fear but we're not afraid of them.
Thank you JeneCMC!
Thank you Dive!
Let's keep reminding them monopoly is ILLEGAL!!!
Let's Not forget dominos pizza being barred from THE island at Saturdays farmer's market by YOU Know Who
Why Are YOU so upset about THE pizza truck but Say Nothing about dominos pizza on Saturday
Wow, it's great Mr. Alfonso's and Mr.Hoo's complaints have been actually published in the NYtimes blog! A small food truck was placed between their businesses and they feel incredibly threatened. Why? Because their food lacks any goodness and because they want to be the only ones selling food. Oh, the greed...i suggest we think about Manhattan where restaurants are crowded next to one another. What makes them feel they have ownership over Roosevelt Island territory? What gives them the right to harass other businesses and complain? We actually love the pizza truck and we hope it's here to stay. I for one, am never returning to their locales. No only do I have higher standards for food but I can't come to terms with the constant bullying. If they want to stay in the food business they must come to terms that another food business might just open next door. We want to have more options. It's pretty simple and nothing personal.
Their burger meet is terrible. That's the first thing they should change.
so these are the comments made on the nytimes blog article regarding the food trucks and the word monopoly is part of every comment:
sashaklNYC
FLAGI've lived on this island for over 30 years. During all that time, dining options have been very limited and mostly way sub par compared to NYC, Queens or even the upstate small town where I lived long ago before I came to Roosevelt Island. The sudden appearance of the two food trucks was a most welcome surprise! It got even better when it turned out that both of them offer quality food - and at decent prices. I sincerely hope the food trucks stay. In fact I hope even more come. A little competition is just what we need here!July 25, 2012 at 10:13 a.m.SHARE THIS ON FACEBOOKSHARE THIS ON TWITTERMargoRoosevelt Island, NY
As many of us elderly Roosevelt Island residents who enjoy healthy meals, eating out 5 times a week on the Island. We find the lack of food choice and greasy food to be a main concern specially the owners and their clan who run several establishments; Riverwalk & Nono's which cater massively to Happy hour cheap beer seeking crowd who come to the island for Zogsport who are not always friendly toward younger children . It is rather appalling to see restaurant business monopolized by the current owners and created much hostile environment for other food trucks coming to the island. If you follow RIOC meeting minutes, you will see how unreasonable and thuggish the owners defending their tuft and trying to suggest rules so no vendors can ever compete with their business! We want to be able have multiple choice so are the visitors.July 24, 2012 at 3:56 p.m.RECOMMENDED1ServiceMomOgdensburg, NY
Why is it that people from outside of Queens ( usually from Manhattan) insist on using the wrong name for the Queensborough Bridge? Just because it connects at 59th Street does not make it the name of the bridge; Koch bridge doesn't fly either.July 24, 2012 at 2:27 p.m.RECOMMENDED1SLVRoosevelt Island, NY
As a life-long resident, I would enjoy more variety of food. However, the owner of Riverwalk shouldn't complain about competition. He owns three establishments and has taken over a the public space on the pier to serve subpar food (although his bartenders are very friendly). There is a better way to balance business expansion on the island while keeping the flavor of the community.July 24, 2012 at 9:38 a.m.RECOMMENDED1Ahuva'leBrooklyn, NY
I always enjoy visiting Roosevelt Island and spending time there. However, I feel that the lack of food choices is a great problem there. I think that it is unacceptable to create some sort of monopoly when it comes to foods and varieties in Roosevelt Island. Fair competition will only exists if we incorporate as many vendors as possible on the Island. This will lead to a stronger buying power of the consumer.July 24, 2012 at 9:37 a.m.RECOMMENDED1
Thanks for your clarification of Nono's ownership and that Mr. Mr. DiCioccio ownership at Riverwalk Bar & Grill & Pier NYC certainly carry the same thuggish hostility defending your Zogsport crowded restaurant and
NYTimes should have quoted Mr. Salvatore Hoo and his equally hostile opinion on having other small business owners to operate on Roosevelr Island under their tuft as if they own Roosevelt Island, we would love to see how Mr.DiCioccio and Mr. Hoo continue to LOBBYING the RIOC so the term of getting food truck permits will near impossible while cheap beer and rowdy zogsport crowd will continue to be bring revenue to these restaurants who are territorial like village queens!
God forbid if some tourists unknowingly brought in food from La Bella Torte & Eddie's Pizza to enjoy with cocktail, am sure the village monopoly thugs will sure wipe the floor with them!
"It would be great if I could live in the apartment that you and your lovely wife pay for and enjoy the furniture you paid for and the internet and cable you pay for and the air conditioning and electric you pay for and eat the food you stocked your cabinets and fridge with. Yea that would be GREAT, but can I ask you a question? How would you feel about that living arrangement? " - Quoted from Mr. Hoo's
Jene, PLEASE be careful! Mr. Hoo has threatened me and made me take my comment down or he would "fire me up". He's also mentioned he's met me and that he is a huge guy and knows karate. They are disgusting bullies, yes, they are. You have some guts to mention MAFIA in your post:)) I love Trellis, they are the nicest people. You, Kitty and I should meet for happy hour at Trelli's. I really wonder who you are...
LOL! so that wasn't an assumption, you're in it together. Seems you'll be losing a lot of business over your bullying at this point. And people are actually aware.
No wonder the PSD almost arrested you. I just have to listen to you and things become clearer.
Reading comprehension doesn't seem your strongest skill.
For the 3rd time, and please pay attention, both my brother and I do not own the pizzeria and did not give the pizza truck a hard time. My brother simply stated that he would rather they not be here. From a business standpoint I think that is easy to understand.
As far as calling the food at both restaurants that I do own "awful," I will make one point that will discredit your claim and basically everything you have ever said on this blog. Pier NYC features seafood prepared by 5 Star Chef Dave Santos and BBQ from the award winning John Brown Smokehouse.
Please do not engage in name calling and personal attacks. It will only lessen whatever point you and others are trying to make.
I know Sal and he is a good and decent guy even if we may disagree on some things. Don't worry, he didn't threaten you in his comment.
Again, please, just stick to whatever point you want to make and keep the personal attacks out of it.
""Most people can't afford to eat out or order in every day and so the zog sports teams coming on to the island help support us most week nights""" My point is he admitting he's not serving the Roosevelt Island community. Yet comes here and supports the use of tasers on our community. Not that hard to understand...
Im sure Sal is not all that bad personally but i've pretty much summarized his comments to me in case the person who made the comment above hasn't read the previous posts.
no wonder something almost happened but did not happen, lol!
I love contradictory statement by business owners. Mr. Hoo continue to promote his Riverwalk Grill & Bar as "THE community restaurant" of Roosevelt Island!
Quoted from Mr. Hoo's previous statement " I see and speak to customers almost every day and know that most all are very happy with the business we're doing and what we've done for the island. I spoke to a couple lifetime residents the other night and I asked them how RW has changed the island and they told me it has really made the island more of a community and that made me feel great."_________________
- If you as a business owner with kind heart and truly sincerely care about Roosevelt Island community you and your fellow partners should not be hostile to other small businesses which are also here to make a decent living. If you're a true community minded businessman, you would embrace all changes which benefiting all real "lifetime residents" which include not depriving them of multiple food choices.
- Based on your below statement about zog sports, your statement simply reaffirm many residents' point of view on your don't care and simply there to make a buck business model. As resident of Southtown, many of our neighbors with elderly parents and children dislike patronage to your Riverwalk establishment because of the the same nuisance drunken young crowd and the level of profanity in presence of of elderly and children during happy hour! Respect and trust need to be earned by consistent level of sincere care toward the community and not just talk about being "caring". You dislike the presence of disabled people hanging around the subway, one of which you call a "half man" because they do not portrait the 'normal' community and bad for your business!
___________________
"And with all due respect those zog sports teams are a huge part of our business since our customer base is limited to residents of the island and I know that most people aren't going to eat from the same food establishment every day no matter how wide the variety. Most people can't afford to eat out or order in every day and so the zog sports teams coming on to the island help support us most week nights." Quoted from Mr. Hoo's statement
Thank you local business owners (Alfonso, Sal, etc.) for making the island a better place. The local business owners can put as much pressure on RIOC as they want, and they have the right to compete and try and keep food trucks off the island, although as a customer and resident I find they are fighting against the majority opinion on the island which is the desire for more options and I don't think it helps their business, but it is theirs to run. In any case all of those owners are pretty nice people, they are happy to talk with residents and accommodate most of their needs. So I would strongly disagree with anyone who is outright bashing them.
The real one at fault here is RIOC, for both succumbing to these pressures and created another complicated set of rules for food trucks.
As far as their food goes, I have said before that it is pretty good especially at Riverwalk Bar and Grill. They have done a great job with the menu, and particularly the beer. Pizza is a tough one in New York, seriously do you think they could really make us all happy no matter what they did? There is room for improvement, but for the price and convenience they aren't doing to bad.
I have not reduced my business at any of the local businesses at all, I have just spent money I wouldn't have spent at the food trucks, so as for me they aren't really losing anything to competition. In fact because of the food trucks I have actually brought some more people to the island and they have been impressed, and we stopped at the bar to get a beer afterwards, so actually the food trucks may be helping some of the local island businesses.
I actually said I would "Light you up" meaning through words on this blog. The fact that you thought it was a physical threat makes sense, since you are koo koo for coco puffs.
I am 5'10', 187lbs and was joking both about being huge and knowing karate. If you are not going to follow the humor and sarcasm on here then what is the point. Will you believe anything i say on here no matter how in jest it is? I also have a pet Unicorn and need a place to walk him. I have an invisibility cloak and constantly keep watch over main steet but you will never see me.
Now please please please use these comical comments in one of your later posts as fact. You discredit yourself with every word.
Rick, you have the inmates running the asylum on this blog. I engage on here for 1 because I could not sit back and let the crazies publicly bash us any longer and 2 because I truly am fascinated at how bat shit crazy some of these people are and the things that can be made up and stated here. The blog is good for island info but it has become a platform for those with hate and a clear agenda at hand.
I believe the critical words would be "every day". Not many in America can afford to eat out EVERY DAY -- not just Roosevelt Island. Does that mean restaurants aren't serving the community? You're just being belligerent.
JeneCMC I am thrilled to see that Oblovoamovavaoma has a running mate here but once again, "sub par food?" The Pier features a 5 star Chef for the seafood and an award winning BBQ Smokehouse.
Neither I nor my brother have bullied anyone. I am a resident and I have purchased cannolis from La Bella Torte Food truck. As a resident I understand the desire for different options, all we are stating is that the trucks pay the very same permit fee the ice cream truck pays and clearly can afford and the fruit vendor.
Alfonso is simply doing what he thought was a good idea to defend his pizzeria. I'm sure the trellis owner wouldn't take kindly to a food truck parked right out front selling the same stuff he does. PLease just have some common sense in all of this.
With every word, lol
Wow you really stretched on this one. lol.
No, no it is not, lol. Btw, thank you YetanotherRier for actually folloing the conversation on here and understanding the points i am making.
Thank you Jenn! So glad that there can be some normal, clear thinking people on here.
MArk the Ronald burger will be on special next week. And Rick there are rumors of the pretzel sandwich coming back as well, just for you.
Yup. Again, reading comprehension skills would help you a lot here, NotaserME.
And here I was complaining about the Bar & Grill in the past. This is awesome, Sal.
Will be on special next week
Once again with every work you say, credit is lost.
Turkey Pretzel Sandwich coming back? Am I dreaming? Wow. Thank you.
Confirmed next week it will be on special
What is awesome? lol
Jene, I am sorry that you feel we are not a caring community restaurant but I think that your resoning for feeling that way is incorrect. I want to respond to all of your thoughts and concerns
First let me say that we were the only ones who thought enough of roosevelt island and the community to invest the capital we did to build out the raw vacant space of over 2 years that is now Riverwalk bar and grill. We have donated to both RISA and RIDA over the 3 years we have been open as well as give a 20% discount every day to all RISA members.
You say that my quote about the zog sports teams reaffirms that we are just trying to make a buck. I will remind you that though we are a part of the community we are still running a business and as in every business the goal is to be profitable. If you fault us for that then you have no idea what it means to run a business. My comment about zog sports teams was simply stating that we do not get much off island patrons and the zog sports teams support us on nights that would otherwise be relatively slow. I am sorry that you find them to be "rowdy" because they enjoy themselves and can be louder than you would like them to be but are we supposed to turn them away? I'll remind you that we are a sports bar, if you came in on Sundays during football would you complain that the bar is too loud because it is full of fans rooting on their teams?
Both of my partners in RW and Pier NYC do not live on the island but that does not mean they do not care about the residents. The objection to the food trucks was more about them changing the zoning so that they could be smack in the middle of where we are located rather than them being here at all. I welcome the competition and am confident in the business we are doing at both Riverwalk and Pier NYC.
As far as the gentleman on the panhandling illegally every day outside the train station. I personally do not have an issue with him being there but as a business owner who is trying to attract new customers to Pier NYC from manhattan it is not a good first impression to have ANYONE begging for money as soon as you arrive here let alone the aggressive woman in the wheelchair or the gentleman on the gurney. My issue is not that they are disabled but rather that they aggressively illegally panhandle.
I respond at length in an open and honest, respectful way so that you can try to understand where I am coming from. If none of this makes sense to you or you still can not understand any part of my points of view concerning your comments and concerns then I am sorry that you have an agenda to just be angry at us and our business for conducting business. If that is the case I am sure you are the same person who was complaning that there were NO options for food here before we were open and complained that Hudson Related was unable to fill the space we are in for years or complained about what an eyesore the vacant space with green painted windows was.
My understanding is there was no zoning change to allow the food trucks to set up near the subway. It's just a different use permitted for the parking space just like the waterfront restaurant is a different use for the public space at the Subway Pier. Both different uses for underutilized spaces provide added amenities for residents and visitors.
But they did change the use of the parking spaces there so that the food trucks could park there all day correct?
Yes, correct - but there is an issue whether RIOC has the authority in the first place to prohibit food trucks parking on Roosevelt Island public streets.
Oblovomava I know english is not your 1st language but please try to work on your reading comprehension. You truly are missing the point of my comments OR you are purposely attempting to twist my words to fool people (which you are not) into believing I said something that I did not. Rick why don't you step in on this one and state what you understand I meant by my comments instead of letting this continue?
You changing the menu on a whim based feedback.
Like I said before we used to change the menu seasonally but now we just run weekly specials to keep new items coming in.
I've been a resident for two and a half years, and I can tell you I wouldn't have moved here if not for Riverwalk BG and the other establishments in the Related property area. If you don't want growth and new residents/businesses, then we will be at an impasse.
Riverwalk has greatly exceeded my expectations, I've made more good friends there than all of my time in NY, especially the owners.
Every member of the team goes above and beyond to be friendly and provide a good atmosphere. It is a sports bar. I wouldn't walk into any similar establishment in Manhattan and expect it to be a quiet non rowdy place. They shouldn't turn away customers, and if anyone has a problem with that they are free to go elsewhere. Unless they have criticized positive businesses so much there's no selection.
They exceed expectations, and Pier NYC's food is brilliant. The lobster gazpacho has become a staple of mine, and the entire raw bar is as tasty, cold, and fresh as I could want. Surprising to me for an outdoor facility that large. I can't wait for cooler days, but the heat isn't their fault.
Finally, I know similar restaurants in proximity is the norm in Manhattan, but if you've ever lived in suburbia, it is not. Restaurateurs often have contractual agreements in place that prohibit the same kinds of food, imagine a food court with several pizza restaurants in it. I think the truck vendors should focus on variety. It is insulting on the surface to park a pizza truck in front of an established pizza restaurant, however I always fall on the side of free enterprise. But they seem to be targeting existing businesses. But in the end the law is the law, as long as both sides follow it.
Truck food is nimble and has the very feature residents should be wary of, requiring less commitment to our community. These are transients on our island. You could bring pizza trucks to put Nonnos out of business. What happens when the trucks decide its not worth the trip and drive away? I'm not against them, but why target members who have a tremendous investment in the community?
I prefer the community these guys have established.
I've been a resident for two and a half years, and I can tell you I wouldn't have moved here if not for Riverwalk BG and the other establishments in the Related property area. If you don't want growth and new residents/businesses, then we will be at an impasse.
Riverwalk has greatly exceeded my expectations, I've made more good friends there than all of my time in NY, especially the owners.
Every member of the team goes above and beyond to be friendly and provide a good atmosphere. It is a sports bar. I wouldn't walk into any similar establishment in Manhattan and expect it to be a quiet non rowdy place. They shouldn't turn away customers, and if anyone has a problem with that they are free to go elsewhere. Unless they have criticized positive businesses so much there's no selection.
They exceed expectations, and Pier NYC's food is brilliant. The lobster gazpacho has become a staple of mine, and the entire raw bar is as tasty, cold, and fresh as I could want. Surprising to me for an outdoor facility that large. I can't wait for cooler days, but the heat isn't their fault.
Finally, I know similar restaurants in proximity is the norm in Manhattan, but if you've ever lived in suburbia, it is not. Restaurateurs often have contractual agreements in place that prohibit the same kinds of food, imagine a food court with several pizza restaurants in it. I think the truck vendors should focus on variety. It is insulting on the surface to park a pizza truck in front of an established pizza restaurant, however I always fall on the side of free enterprise. But they seem to be targeting existing businesses. But in the end the law is the law, as long as both sides follow it.
Truck food is nimble and has the very feature residents should be wary of, requiring less commitment to our community. They are transients. You could bring pizza trucks to put Nonnos out of business. What happens when the trucks decide its not worth the trip and drive away? I'm not against them, but why target good people who have made a tremendous investment here?
That's amazing. You are saying that if there was no sports bar at Southtown, you wouldn't have taken an apartment at that development. Have you ever made any of your previous decisions as to the neighborhood you wished to live in based on the availability of a nearby sports bar? I suppose it is possible to decide on where to live based on sports bars or their availability. However, sports bars, theme bars, "Irish" bars - they actually dot the City, from the Bronx to Staten Island, from the Rockaways to every corner of Manhattan. The City must have thousands of sports bars. How can one sports bar vs another sports bar make that much of a difference in terms of deciding on where to live? And how near does a sports bar have to be in order for a neighborhood to be OK to move to?
I think I understand what Jonesclay is saying. I moved here recently and while there were a lot of compelling reasons to move to R.I., one of the biggest downsides, to me, was the lack of restaurants that would deliver here, as well as the dearth of grocery stores. Having a few staples right here (a pizza place; a restaurant with a broad menu like RWB&G), as well as the existence of FreshDirect (much as I hate relying on it -- but that Gristedes is just awful) made the prospect of living here seem feasible to me. I don't think Jonesclay was saying that s/he moved here BECAUSE of RWB&G, but rather (and this is what I'm saying for myself) if these kinds of establishments were not present here, would have thought twice about moving here. The proximity of dining/grocery options are a pretty common amenity that one considers when moving to a new neighborhood, so I don't think this is such a strange or "amazing" concept.
Couldn't have said it better myself. Great reply Sal, there are many of us who hate seeing beggars as the first thing we see when we come home.
Well, up until RWB&G opened, RI, for a while at least, must have been one of the only practically "dry" neighborhoods around: No bar, no liquor store. Also, at the same time, no pizzeria (until the one opened at Riverwalk), and still no bakery/ice cream parlor. We once had a florist, but that closed. There are so many types of businesses that are not found on RI, it's mind-boggling, or possibly monastic. Can you blame the long-term residents for their occasional crankiness? Can you imagine what it's like to continually tout a place all the while knowing that it's really at bottom so lacking in basic amenities like even a slight array of dining choices? That's why everyone got so excited about the food trucks.. and the suggestion of newness.. also PierNYC helps, alot... otherwise, there's almost nothing on RI..
EXACTLY! I don't think Riverwalk being here IS the reason he moved here, it more so helped him to make the decision to live here. People want to know that they have a place that they can go get a bite to eat in an informal environment, have a drink and meet some neighbors. When I lived in mainland manhattan , I was in the same building for 6 years and never met any of my neighbors. On roosevelt Island I have made so many friends and a big part of it is because of the bar. local watering hole provides a place where neighbors can meet and chat and helps make the island more of a community.
Cheshirekitty, I appreciate that you recognize what we have done for the island by opening our 2 establishments in RW and Pier NYC. Again, as a resident of the Island I can truly understand getting excited about new food truck options but I think the point jonesclay was making is that the food trucks are transient and can be here today gone tomorrow. Local businesses need to be supported or they run the risk of not being in business especially if they do not have ideal location as the new stores on main street will not.
Do you know why the bakery, florist and ice cream store went out of business? Probably the same reason most businesses close up shop, THEY WERE NOT PROFITABLE! Meaning there wasn't enough community support OR the community itself was not sufficient to provide enough volume to keep the businesses afloat.
If the stores had sold items people actually wanted to buy, they would have been profitable. That being said, the population of the island is too small to support a florist, but we could support a flower stand in front of the grocery, the way every other grocery store in the city sells flowers, if we had a normal grocery operation instead of what we do have. If, for some reason, an entrepreneur loved the island and wanted to open a really good business here that would attract off-islanders, that could work, too, if they could stand the hue and cry that would rise up from the professional islanders complaining that the business wasn't serving "the community." I see that there are actual off-islanders coming to PierNYC, so I know I am not imagining this possibility.
Yes there are off islanders coming to Pier NYC however that is because we are giving them something they cannot get in Manhattan. We realize that people from Manhattan aren't going to go out of their way to come to RW because its a sports bar and there are a plethora of them already in the city. I truly don't know what could open on Main street that would be so different that people from the city would go out of their way (because let's be honest, it is out of the way) to shop there.
The Peir is a great concept, only twice I have called, or gone by to order a brisket sandwich, always out, and no rain check on a price discount or anything given. Please make sure you always have things in high demand, and can it be less than 10 bucks for a brisket sanwich? Throw in a pickle and small bag of chips too...you would be a millionaire with this special each day. Not sure if I will try again, tired now of not getting my fix for some Q .
a hot food buffet on the weekensds and week days would get locals and families in to spend money and relax..throw in an iced tea and for 10 bucks a persone, your eateries would be crowded and a place people flock. Comfort food like meat loaf, chicke, some veggies and some biscuits during the week would get huge lunch crowds from the people that work here and the hospitals.
you need to mix things up a little and a salad bar and ice cream bar would be a great addition to a hot food bard.
so many families here on the island, and people that need a good option for some hot food at lunch. Throw a apple cobbler in there or some peach pie, and your buffet would be the talk of NYC..people would flock to eat the fresh buffet!
I don't agree with the hot food buffet concept being suitable for RWB&G - don't think these sorts of buffets are usually that good. He should stick with the individually prepared meals. I don't think a salad bar would work either - probably no room for it. He is doing a land office business, and people enjoy the place for drinks/ambiance. I don't see how a salad bar, which would take away seating, would make sense. Ice cream? Not really. Most people do not go to bars for ice cream..
Now you're trying to apply a Subway-like concept to PierNYC and it just wont work because PierNYC is not that kind of place - it's not a "mass"-production kind of eatery. Far from it. The BBQ place in LIC wherein the BBQ originates takes great pride in its individually produced BBQ, more or less "artisanal". As far as price-points are concerned? Compare the price of the brisket sandwich to the prices at the sushi place - which also prepares food on an individual basis. Is there anything there for under $10 except perhaps for individual rolls, each of which could never be a stand-alone meal anyway? As I recall, there is nothing at the sushi place that can be considered a meal, even the lunch specials, priced under $10. A BBQ brisket sandwich at $10? You know how much sandwiches (not even BBQ) go at Carnegie Deli these days? Waaayyy more than $10...
A casino (OK - it'd have to be a tiny casino)..
Respectfully, westviwgirl I would have to agree with cheshirekitty. We have to maintain our identity and we aren't a buffet type place, we are a sports bar with a full kitchen. And there isn't a huge lunch crowd on this island. There is some business from the schools and hospitals (we love the teachers, nurses and those employed on RI) there is but no real manhattan lunch push say from a high rise commercial building.
By now they're more like "characters" than anything else. You have to wonder if they really need the additional cash or if they do it out of boredom. If the latter, then whoever helps them - I'm assuming both must have a social worker that helps them - could hook them up with some sort of adult day care, wherein they could keep busy, maybe participate in an interesting, productive craft and so forth. They could at least try going to see if they like it - maybe even Coler/Goldwater has these programs/activities available. If they make crafts at such a program, then they could sell them either at an on-island vending opportunity (such as have a table at a festival day or at the farmer's market) or they could form a coop to jointly market their products. The key is to have some dignity, and sell their products in order to make money instead of panhandling.
Do you really consider one stop on the F train from Bloomingdale's "out-of-the-way?" As you pointed out, above, if there is something distinctive on offer, people will come (although, believe me, the professional islanders will object.)
To Westviewer(Disqus does not handle indentation very well): I don't think any of us RIer would consider one stop on the F "out-of-the-way". Sal, wasn't talking about us. Sal was just saying that most people in NYC would not jump on a train even for one stop unless there is a really good reason for it. Again, most of us don't think that way but many (majority?)of Manhattanites from across the river do.
Westviewer, It is out of the way ONLY because people aren't going to leave a place (manhattan), that has everything and take a train to go to a place that isn't offering them something that they can already get in manhattan.
Actually the florist shutdown due to an electrical fire. After many many years she decided to retire. The bakery closed because at the time RIOC was not giving out longer term leases. So they decided to relocate their business. And the ice cream parlor (run by a bubble woman named Kiki) well she decided to move back to California. None of them closed because LACK of patrons.
I disagree.
People who live in Manhattan proper often go to Queens or Brooklyn for performances, galleries and restaurants. I think people would take the train one stop to come to RI rather than, say, 7 stops to go downtown or uptown. if there were something interesting to draw them in. It's not simply a matter of distance. People who live in Manhattan proper often go to Queens or Brooklyn for performances, galleries and restaurants. They are coming here to go to Pier NYC, for example. The island mentality of being separate and remote from the rest of the city has not served us well -- except for those who like it that way.
That is good news. That means there may be hope after all. Do you know what the rent per sq/ft was back then? I'm just curious and you seem like you might know.
Had the Turkey pretzel sandwich with sweet potato fries tonight. Yum - Thank you Sal
It's actually quite comical to see so many people on this blog battle on such meaningless things. No one here has the cash flow to open up their own business to compete with Nonno's, Pier NyC, and Riverwalk or you would be doing it too. Wake up people! We live in a city where it's all about competition. A monolopy? I think not. If they have the money to continue opening up areas on the island, then that's what they are going to do. If the trucks can't get a permit due to the 'bullying' of the owners then OH Well! Too bad!! That's business and that's just the way the cookie crumbles. If you really want to show them off, open up your own place and compete!!! Open your mouth and fight for your place but to fight for other 'trucks' and businesses as if you're their keeper makes you look pathetic, and quite frankly---YOU NEED A LIFE. Each time you look up and see that gorgeous skyline, just remember how those owners stepped on all the little people with empty pockets to get to the top too. This is effin America, dudes. People can do whatever they want. And, I heard the blogger dude was a douche but now I know he's a really big douche. And, all you followers are such geeks. Get a life. Or continue to sit on this computer/mobile phone and complain about how horrible The Hoo's and DiCioccio are. I actually feel sorry for all of you. I won't reread this so don't bother bashing me. But please send me an email when one of you have the money to open up your own place and I'll make sure NOT to go. I doubt it will ever exist. And, if it does--- I GUARANTEE that you would be after any business that was competing with you. Microsoft verses Apple, etc. That's life. You don't own the island and whatever happens to it, isn't under your control. Take a look across the pond and see how the 1% own the majority f manhattan. That's just how life is & if you don't like it-- go kill yourself. Have a nice day.
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