NYC Restaurateurs Assess the Damage Caused by Sandy

Now that two days have passed since Hurricane Sandy blasted New York, the restaurateurs of this city are finally beginning to assess both the short-term and long-term damage caused by the storm. The Post's Steve Cuozzo talked to several restaurateurs about the how their businesses were affected by the hurricane. Steve Hanson, who owns 10 downtown restaurants that are currently without power, offers this sobering take on the situation:

The way it happens is, they don't close up right away. But they owe vendors, taxes and landlords. They can push it off but it all catches up...The effect won't be seen for six months to a year.

The storm struck New York on the same night that Andrew Carmellini was supposed to kick off his beloved Trufflepalooza dinner at Locanda Verde, and now he has about $16,000 of white truffles that are going to waste. Carmellini's partner in the restaurant, Ken Friedman, tells the Times: "We thought of doing a pop-up at the Breslin, but the chefs at the Breslin said nobody wants truffles." The situation at The Ace Hotel, where Friedman operates The Breslin and The John Dory, was not pretty. He notes: "We had two restaurants open but ran out of food. It's not a good vibe." Freidman also explains that "The lobby at the Ace is like a refugee camp."

Dennis Turcinovic, who owns Delmonico's in the FiDi, tells the Times that "The water picked everything up and spun it round...It was almost like a 'Wizard of Oz' effect." Despite the damage, Turcinovic hopes to have his restaurant back up and running within a day or two once that power is back on. And, of course, the restaurant closures are causing a difficult situation for servers and bartenders. Tom Colicchio remarks, "We have workers who live on tips and they're not getting them."
· New York Restaurant Industry Takes a Hit [NYT]
· Blacked-out eateries $tarve [NYP]
· All Coverage of Hurricane Sandy [~ENY~]

Foursquare

Delmonico's

56 Beaver Street, Manhattan, NY 10004 (212) 509-1144 Visit Website