An Iconic New York Restaurant Returns in a Florida Horse Town

Maxwell’s Plum, one of Manhattan’s most famous restaurants and singles bars, open from 1966 to 1988, has returned... in Wellington, Florida. Jennifer Oz LeRoy, the daughter of owner Warner LeRoy — also behind Manhattan restaurants Tavern on the Green and the Russian Tea Room — says the area “makes perfect sense,” as it’s an equestrian destination and a draw for celebrities, the New York Post reports. “The concept [of the original] was that everybody is welcome, there was a high energy, a sexiness to it,” LeRoy tells the publication. “And if you’ve ever been to Wellington, that’s exactly what Wellington is.”

Is Long Island City the next new Chinatown?

Grub Street makes the case for another new Chinatown in New York City. Long Island City, whose population increased by 40 percent between 2010 and 2020, has seen an influx of Asian-owned businesses in recent years, including small businesses and chains like Xi’an Famous Foods and Paris Baguette, which is headquartered in South Korea. Spencer Chang, who runs the social media account @bubbleteainlic, likened the neighborhood to a “yuppie Flushing” for its high density of affluent Chinese expats.

Crumbs, once valued at $66 million, purchased for $300

Crumbs, a bakery chain valued at $66 million when it went public in 2011, was bought back by its owners last year for $300 — the fee for purchasing an “abandoned brand” from the United States Patent and Trademark Office. “The USPTO website said that Crumbs’ trademark was ‘dead, abandoned and unrevivable,’” co-founder Jason Bauer told the Post. Last fall, Jason and Mia Bauer relaunched the brand, announcing plans to sell their cupcakes online and from hundreds of supermarkets in New York.

A decades-old cash-only restaurant now takes Venmo

EV Grieve calls it the dawn of a “new era” at the iconic Ray’s Candy Store in the East Village. The 49-year-old, formerly cash-only shop, recently started accepting payments for its fried Oreos and excellent fries via Venmo, according to the neighborhood blog.