Monday, November 9, 2009

The Recession As Seen Through Eyes Of Roosevelt Island's Nonno's And Riverwalk Bar & Grill Owner - Less Work, More Babies


Remember this picture of a crowded, standing room only opening day for Nonno's Focacceria? Well, that was before the recession hit and times have changed a bit economically on Roosevelt Island and the rest of the United States as illustrated in New York On Less from The NY Times City Room blog. The article examines how the recession has impacted Roosevelt Island through the eyes of Nonno's Focacceria and Riverwalk Bar & Grill Owner Alphonso DiCioccio.
... At first, business thrived as roughly 200 construction workers came in daily for lunch. After construction work on the island slowed and residents cut back on eating out, he laid off two workers.

In the two months since he opened the Riverwalk Bar and Grill in another building, Mr. DiCioccio has hustled to attract new customers by offering senior citizen breakfast discounts and half-price happy hour drinks. From his perch behind these two counters, Mr. DiCioccio measures how the recession has played out across the island in pizza slices and how often he sees customers...
What has Alphonso noticed on Roosevelt Island since the start of the Recession - more people out of work and more babies too.
... It’s like a baby boom. I see a lot more people having babies here. About three or four women said: “I lost my job. I’m having a baby.”...
UPDATE 6:45 PM - More City Room Blog New York On Less stories from other neighborhoods.

3 comments :

Anonymous said...

Recession or not, Nonno's opening would have looked the same. It's not about having the money to spend on a slice of pizza. It was about the ability to actually get a slice on this island in the first place.

I see two problems why the Bar & Grill and the Sushi place are having trouble getting new customers (or even getting any customers at all for the latter): they are too expensive for the quality you are getting and, of course, the location they are at. Trellis and China 1 (even though the latter seems to be making its dishes smaller every time I go there) are cheap and relatively good (at least as good as the price would tell you). I cannot say the same about the two more "upscale" places.

Anonymous said...

I half agree with the previous post. The quality of the restaurants on RI is not good and can not be compared to those found in Manhattan, but what they do have is a captive audience and a convenient location. Personally, I do not go to Trellis or China 1 because I do not like the food and find the quality unacceptable. With regards to the bar and grill, it is definitely a step up from Trellis and I will continue to go every so often, the price point does sway me from frequenting more often. Nonno's, I find it overpriced and terrible pizza. We are in NYC, we should be able to get a decent slice of pizza on this island. Again, captive audience. It is all about the quality, if these places had better quality, perhaps I would decide to eat/take out instead of desperately scrounging around in my freezer for something quick and easy to make for dinner.

anitagwheeler said...
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