Monday, January 5, 2015

Trellis Diner Owner Alex Razaghi On Past, Present And Future Of Roosevelt Island - Big Changes Coming For Renovated Trellis And Predicts Roosevelt Island Will Become A Small Manhattan

Image Of Renovated Trellis Rendering From Hezi Jiang Vimeo Video

Roosevelt Island Trellis Diner owner Alex Razaghi


talks about the past, present and future of Roosevelt Island in this video report from Columbia University Journalism School student Hezi Jiang.

According to Mr. Razaghi:
... Main Street has been very desolate for a  long time. There has been absolutely no commercial presence here. We're one of the very few...

... Trellis has been the only diner on Main Street Roosevelt Island for the last 17 years. I started working at Trellis when I was about 15 years old.

When you are the only diner, every family event, every union of the Islanders, comes to the diner. You become a part of their lives. ... You're not just a business any more, You're part of the Island....

...There is no comparison to what we were and what we will be. Different exteriors, different interiors, different managerial tactics, There will be different food. The sky's the limit. There's nothing to hold us back but our imagination.

My prediction of Main Street is we're going to turn into Manhattan. We're going to be a small Manhattan. It won't be anywhere near as busy but there's alot of changes happening to Roosevelt Island. If you haven't been here, you should come.


Roosevelt Island Gambles on a Brighter Future from Columbia University JSchool on Vimeo.
More from Ms. Jiang on Roosevelt Island retail from this October 2014 NY City Lens article.

As previously reported, the Trellis Diner closed for renovations last September 8. The ongoing renovations were scheduled to take 4-6 months.