Even as a typically slow month for restaurants comes to a close, many eateries around the Upper West Side and Morningside Heights will not escape the January chill.
Restaurants that surround Columbia are closing under the pressures of slow business and steep rent as the bright lights of Broadway seem to come at too high a price during tough economic times.
“Business has been slow with the American economy down,” said Ali Jack, an employee from Royal Kabab & Curry—currently located on 103rd Street and Broadway. “We are losing our lease. In a few months, we will have to move to 105th and Amsterdam.”
One block north, even the prospect of relocation was not enough to keep a local establishment afloat. Tokyo Pop, located on 104th Street and Broadway, closed its doors in the first week of January.
Cyril Tregoat, general manager of Café du Soleil, a French restaurant directly across the street from Tokyo Pop, said that the shut-down Japanese eatery’s new management might have contributed to its failure.
“New people came on board and they wanted to do something different,” Tregoat said, adding that Tokyo Pop could not pay its rent.
According to Gamie Alhadael, owner of neighboring shop A. Grocery and Candy, the issue was more about location. “This area is not the same as it is farther uptown, closer to the college area. It is just not busy here.”
Carolyn Yim, CC ’11, agreed, saying that she does not spend much time below 110th Street. “If I am going to leave the area, I am going to go all the way downtown.”
Rack and Soul, originally on the corner of 109th Street and Broadway, struggled to pay the rent as well. Four months ago, the barbecue restaurant was forced to move farther east on the same block.
Economic troubles also hit to SubsConscious, a popular sandwich shop on Broadway, which shut its doors in October. “Maybe the lease was up or the rent too high,” Marty Turk, who works at the Sleepy’s two stores south, said. “We were disappointed,” he added. “They were a good place.”
“We have the school right here, I guess they were a little far off,” Juan Estrada, manager of the SubsConscious location on Amsterdam, said of the 109th Street location. “I don’t know what customers they relied on.” Estrada relayed his own economic woes, saying business was “really slow” this month.
Just across from Columbia’s gates, Café Swish has remained closed longer than expected for renovation, and for what Ollie’s employees said would be a change in menu.
Still, some neighborhood favorites have managed to make ends meet despite the trying economic circumstances. “The primary element of our success is local business,” Mike Zoulis, manager and partner at Tom’s Restaurant, said. Tom’s has been serving milkshakes on 112th Street and Broadway for roughly 60 years. “We have kept the restaurant authentic. We have always served the community faithfully, without letting the show [Seinfeld] get to our heads.”
For students, a local restaurant seems to be only as desirable as it is affordable. “Most places around here seem pretty pricey. I usually go down to the Village,” Derek Turner, CC ’12, said.
But Ron Mazor, CC ’09, thinks local eateries will be able to tough it out. “There will always be a huge market for restaurants. Ideally, there are always going to be a lot of places to eat.”
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