Pommes Frites Asks Friends and Fans to Help Kick in $64,000 So They Can Reopen

Beloved fries shop Pommes Frites, which was wiped out during the 2nd Avenue fire, is getting close to reopening in its new home on Macdougal Street, but the team needs some help. So, owners Omer Shorshi and Suzanne Levinson are asking friends and fans to pitch in to raise $64,000 to help them buy the fryers, fridges, and everything else they need to make their legendary fries and sauces. The original location was insured, but the claim is slow going and because much of the equipment dated back to the opening of the shop in 1996, Shorshi and Levinson aren't likely to get much from the insurance company to replace them. This isn't the first time the team has asked for donations, but opening a restaurant with nothing is hard.

So far, a total of 180 people have donated just slightly over 10 percent of the full goal. Most have chipped in $10 for the pommes frites royal, which grants those who donate a voucher for an order of fries with three toppings, something that would have cost about $9 at the old shop, so this pretty much just allows people to pre-pay for their first order of fries and help the shop get back on its feet. The delivery date says October, so hopefully Shorshi and Levinson will be back up and running by then.