Legendary East Village lunch counter B & H Dairy hoped to reopen today, nearly two weeks after the deadly explosion just a few properties to its north. Unfortunately, that won't happen, but an employee reports that the team is getting its gas hooked up again right now, and should be back serving soup and sandwiches in a few days.
B & H owner Fawzy Abdelwahad, who told Bedford + Bowery recently that he accrues $30,000 to $40,000 in expenses a month, is desperate to reopen and start bringing in revenue again. If the closure had stretched past three weeks, he worried, he might not be able to reopen at all. Luckily, is sounds like that will not be the case. The health department has signed off on the opening, so hopefully once the gas is on, the team will start serving its excellent blintzes once again. Meanwhile, Matt Wardrop, who owns Paul's Da Burger Joint right near by, reports that Stage, another beloved lunch counter directly across the street from B & H, "might need a few more days to reopen."