Pier 72, an old-school diner which has been a reliable breakfast and lunch spot at the corner of 72nd and West End Avenue for the last 41 years, has closed its doors for good.
While a GoFundMe campaign raised an impressive $7,087 since it was launched on November 15 (quickly surpassing its initial goal), it wasn’t enough to keep the diner open. And the person who launched the campaign had a feeling that would be the case, but wanted to make things easier for the owner and staff members.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” bordertop=”false” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=”16″] “We have shared so many memories with our family there. If you have, too, we hope you will join us in giving Jimmy, the kindly owner who always pretended to steal french fries from his kid patron’s plates, and his hard-working staff the “tip” of a lifetime.It won’t be enough to thank them for all the memories they have helped us make. But it will let them know we loved going to the “Pier” and we will never forget them.”
[/perfectpullquote]
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Said one regular who made a donation, “The closing of Pier 72 is a loss to the neighborhood. I’ve been their satisfied customer for 27 years. Everyone was treated like family and friends. Good folks are losing their employment so I’m happy to give a final gratuity.”
The campaign is still currently open with an $8,000 goal. You can make a contribution here.
In other food news:
Supermarket Western Beef, located between 62nd and 63rd on West End Avenue, is expected to close by the end of the year.
Cafe Frida, at 368 Columbus Avenue (between 77th and 78th Street), has closed for good – but owner Cristina Castañeda will be opening a new restaurant in the same space.
Mamoun’s Falafel will be opening at 508 Columbus Avenue, between 84th and 85th Streets.
Chinese restaurant Hunan Park has reopened at 610 Amsterdam Avenue, between 89th and 90th Streets.
And Pastrami Queen will be opening on Tuesday, December 8, at 138 West 72nd Street, between Amsterdam and Columbus.
What this article doesn’t say is who forced Jimmy out, and why. Who is the owner of the space? Why during the pandemic could he not have granted this beloved institution a rent holiday of six or twelve months? Why should diner owners have to sacrifice while landlords make no sacrifice?
Good question!!! I wondered the same thing .
anybody know any details?
First, you do not know what bills the landlord has. Secondly, the risks of running the business falls on the owner. Just like the risks of being a landlord falls on me. As a landlord I personally would work with people, but I cannot eat the cost forever. Lastly, there are other bills besides rent. Insurance, inventory, utilities and staff. Should all of those people not get paid? Blame the idiot mayor and Governor for this mess.
The residential building/coop – 260 West End Ave – in which Pier 72 resides, controls the lease.
Once again the greedy landlords show no compassion to our ESSENTIAL small business owners. Shame on them!
NY is finished. Get a clue.
Its slated for destruction.
China isnt even on lockdown..and not this long.
China didn’t have to stay on lockdown because they were smart enough to control it. The half-assed US response only dragged this on for month after month…
People in New Zealand are back in stadiums…
Comparing a landlocked country of 4 million to a country with open borders of 330 million … yeah that’s a fair analysis
I mentioned two countries in my response. The other, China, with ~1.4B people is also much further along in getting things back to “normal”. Few developed countries in the world have bungled things as badly as the US.
It’s not always the landlord. City is talking of another lockdown in a month. Sma business owner cant operate at reduced capacity for over a year