New York Extends Eviction Moratorium for Restaurants Through January 1

New York’s commercial eviction moratorium has been extended till next year

New York restaurant and bar owners may breathe just a little easier today as the state’s eviction moratorium on commercial leases has been extended through January 1, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday.

This is now at least the fourth time the governor has extended the moratorium since the start of the pandemic-related shutdowns in March. The most recent moratorium was set to expire yesterday, and Cuomo’s extension for commercial tenants now lines up with the one given to New York residential tenants.

Since the start of the pandemic, restaurants have consistently struggled to pay rent due to the historic downturn in business, and could previously have faced eviction proceedings, without the moratorium. The most recent New York City Hospitality Alliance from September showed that nearly 90 percent of the restaurants surveyed were unable to pay full rent, and many restaurants consistently cite the inability to renegotiate new rent agreements as reasons for closure.

Some landlords are struggling too, though. A recent survey by Community Housing Improvement Program — a group of owners and landlords of rent-stabilized buildings — states that one in ten landlords surveyed would not be able to property tax or make water and sewer payments in January, without federal aid.

In other news

— Greenwich Village fast casual Lebanese flatbreads spot Manousheh has opened its Lower East Side outpost at 403 Grand Street, between Suffolk and Clinton Streets.

— NYC salad chain Fresh & Co. has launched a new catering service that’s geared toward folks who have returned to offices along with those continuing to work from home.

— Popular Mott Haven cafe Mottley Kitchen is opening a new location in the neighborhood. Mottley Kitchenette, located at 2430 Third Avenue, at the corner of East 134th Street, is set to debut sometime in mid-November, a restaurant spokesperson tells Eater.

— Celebrated ramen chef Shigetoshi Nakamura will be serving up some of signature ramen dishes like tontoro creamy pork, and torigara chicken at Upper West Side comfort food staple Good Enough to Eat, this Friday, October 23. The pop-up service will begin at 6 p.m., and continue until noodles run out, according to a restaurant spokesperson.

— Flatiron casual sushi restaurant Maki Kosaka is launching three new lunch specials that will be available Tuesdays through Fridays from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. All three are sushi sets that range in price from $28 to $50, according to a restaurant spokesperson.

— Brooklyn institution Junior’s will begin selling a limited set of cheesecakes and cupcakes emblazoned with “vote,” beginning Friday, October 23, and running through November 3, according to a restaurant spokesperson.

— Music game on point: