More Restaurants Needed For Roosevelt Island's 14,000 Residents Says New Main Street Landlord Hudson Related - Indian, Mexican Asian, Maybe Even A White Cloth Restaurant - Standing Ovation For Trellis Diner At Retail Town Hall Meeting
Can Roosevelt Island support more restaurants than currently exist? We have the Riverwalk Bar & Grill (Sports Bar), Fuji East (Japanese), Nonno's Focacceria (Italian, and they have recently added a Mexican menu as well), Trellis Diner and China 1 Take Out. Starbucks, though not a restaurant almost counts as one in the context of Roosevelt Island options.
During the Roosevelt Island Main Street Retail Town Hall Meeting, a resident spoke in opposition to the notion of a "white table cloth restaurant" being opened on Roosevelt Island. (Video of remark is here at the 43 minute 55 second mark of the third video in post).
In response, David Kramer of the Hudson/Related Main Street Retail Master Leaseholder partnership indicated that the new landord is open for business and it is up to the free market to determine if a white table cloth restaurant, Mexican, Indian or any other type of restaurant opens on Roosevelt Island. Mr. Kramer added that it is up to the free marketplace to decide, not him, whether any particular restaurant can pay the $35 -50 per square foot in rent that Hudson will be seeking for new Main Street retail tenants and that 14,000 people can support more than the existing restaurants.
Mr. Kramer also indicated he believes that Roosevelt Island Main Street rents have been too low which created an environment in which retailers did not have to be on their "A game" and that with market rents better retailers will be providing service to Roosevelt Island residents.
Here's Mr. Kramer's remarks on this issue.
Video of the entire Main Street Retail Town Hall Meeting is here.
During the Town Hall Meeting, Trellis Diner owner Kaie Razaghi was given a standing ovation by many of those attending when he got up to speak including shouts of Go Trellis followed by more applause. His son Alex thanked the crowd for their support and said that he was proud to have grown up on Roosevelt Island, keeping their prices low and doors opened despite blackouts and other emergencies. Alex said that they would like to stay in the community and secure a new lease.
Whatever you think of the Trellis Diner, it was a very touching moment. Roosevelt Island Residents Association President (RIRA) President Matt Katz added that if you are what you eat he is at least 2/3 Trellis parts.
21 comments :
The white tablecloth restaurant notion appeared in an article in Crain's NY Business. It was attributed to Hudson Related who purportedly feed some crap to Crains stating we only had takeout, not sit down restaurants here and were sorely in need of an upscale restaurant! He denied the involvement of Hudson at that town hall meeting, and the reporter for Crains did not respond when asked to identify the source of her information.
An upscale destination restaurant committed to marketing itself in a creative way could make it here, but it would require an owner really dedicated to that end. I don't see it happening, although eating dinner with a view of the city lights, the 59th St. bridge and the tram would be very appealing -- once there are other normal city services in place.
I guess my 10 years here on this island don't make me veteran enough to understand why the Trellis duo was getting a standing ovation. I assume those were mostly the folks that have been here for a lot longer?
A white tablecloth restaurant is unlikely. Do any of the retail spots have river views? No, most face Main Street.
Ethnic food, yes. But not McD, W, BK, WC, P, TB or other fast food.
Nonno's is trying to do too much - their pizza wasn't great and now they're making burritos? Stick to one thing and do it well, please.
Kramer is right - the market will dictate. If someone wants to take the chance to open a very upscale place, either they do it right and draw from off-island in addition to the hundreds if not thousands of people who are already here but spend $20+ for an entree on the other side of the river or they don't - and close.
That's the thing about letting the market decide - people end up with what they want because they spend money in the places where they like the food.
Surely, we can support both a HIGH QUALITY Mexican and Indian restaurant ... the take-out to the Octagon alone will probably do it. They guy from FujiEast is on his mini-bike back and forth all the time.
Look Main Street is dead, like it's residents, but so is the bad pizza, bad bar seen and lackluster Asian food over priced food. $35-50 a sq foot, has anyone looked at set-ups of these locations, support beams all over, no views, if you are going to pay 35 - 50 a sq ft you will not be able to afford any stinking white table cloths because nobody will be able to afford your prices.
Racist much?
matt katz says he loves trellis. they why did he go to the bar and grill with his guest last week .out of respect ,he should have gone to trellis they been here alot longer then the bar and grill .see matt talks nothing but b.s it is time for him to be replaced.
we need a new pizza place nonnos sucks .he is lucky that most young people living in southtown.i mean the ones making over 100,000 and more per year, and get their coffee at starbucks,do not know what good pizza is .as most of them are not from new york,
what do you mean when you say, main street is dead like its residents
nonno should give up making pizza and become a mexican restaurant, his burritos are not bad ,thats because he has a mexican making them,his pizza is bad because he has a mexican making pizza ,maybe he will hire a indain and make a indian reataurant.but one thing is for sure ,he must give up making pizza ,it sucks
No, not Main Street. I was thinking of the space where the unused Island House pool is now.
What an inspired use of that space, languishing and lifeless. That will only work if there is access from the street, without going through the residential section.
Access could be from the riverside walkway.
Nonos is extremely dissapointing pizza. The cheese is nowhere bubbly, the crust is soft and gummy. What more can you expect from a retired city worker. No real experience in pizza making is evident.
Does related make the final decision on the businesses they rent to? Can any of Roosevelt Island's governing bodies "veto" a business if they don't want, say, a McDonald's.
I don't know the answer to that question, but we can obviously choose not to support any businesses we don't like, keeping in mind that one man's poison is another man's meat.
My understanding is that RIOC has no veto over potential retailers that Hudson Related wishes to rent to. H/R has total decision making authority unless there was some non-permitted use provision written into the Master Leasehold Agreement.
Examples of a non permitted use could be no strip clubs or establishments open after a certain time of night etc.
I asked RIOC to make the Master Lease Agreement public and for a copy of the Master Lease Agreement last August and again last week. To date have not received it.
I doubt if IH owner would go for it. It's unlikely there's as "picturesque" a spot in Northtown as that occupied by Starbucks in Southtown. Waterside locations facing Manhattan not too far from the train or tram.. can't think of any off hand..
It's just a fantasy. I know it would never happen here.
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