There are economic hard times all over the city, but there seems to be at least a minor boom in the restaurant business. Zagat’s 2012 New York City Restaurants Survey showed that roughly twice as many restaurants opened than closed in the past year.
The trend seems to be strongly reflected in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights. New restaurants have been popping up on Vanderbilt and Washington Avenues, creating a new Brooklyn dining destination. At least six new drink or food-related businesses have opened in the last two months.
“The new survey shows that the city’s restaurant industry has stabilized and may be turning upward,” the Zagat organization said when it released the report Oct. 5.
“Reflecting that, there were 135 noteworthy openings this year and just 68 closings—the highest openings vs. closings differential since 2007. For the first time post-recession, many leading chefs and restaurateurs seem to be betting on the future,” the release continues.
The survey also found that even though the cost of the average meal has gone up since last year, New Yorkers are still eating out as much as they have for the past few years.
To feed this steady stream of diners many new restaurants are opening in Prospect Heights, according to Rebeca Ramirez, of the Washington Avenue-Prospect Heights Merchants Association.
One of the new tenants is Phillip Lee and his restaurant, Kimchi Grill. The business has been operating as a food truck, Kimchi Taco, since 2010. Prospect Heights will be the location of its first bricks-and-mortar store.
One reason Lee is opening his business in Prospect Heights is that it’s a growing market and is gentrifying.
“You are seeing a lot of families in Prospect Heights and development,” says Ramirez.
Resident Honey Moon, who has lived in the neighborhood since 2005, notices how much the area has been developing.
”When we moved into the neighborhood there were a few places of business that provided for the locals,” says Moon. “First came Zaytoons, then came other food establishments…and it really hasn’t stopped.”
She adds: “As a resident I love it. I get to enjoy so many different variations of dinner in a week.”
Atim Oton, Co-Chair of Community Board 8’s Economic Development Committee says lower rents are attracting businesses to Prospect Heights.
In contrast to restaurants, other new businesses have struggled, Oton says
“Usually we would have a retail business that would start out boomingly, but in about a year or two they would be going out of business,” she says.
Among the factors favoring restaurants is alcohol, which sells well even during tough economic times and has a higher profit margin, she says.
Vanderbilt Avenue has been a popular eating and drinking spot in Prospect Heights. A number of its bars and food establishments opened there before and during the height of the recession.
More recently, with Vanderbilt already packed with food and drink establishments, many new restaurants and bars have opened a couple blocks east on and near Washington Avenue.
Restaurants, cafés and bars that have opened there since January include The Way Station, a bar and live-music venue, Dean Street, a restaurant and bar one block east of Washington Avenue, BCakeNY, a cake studio which moved from downtown Manhattan and Janelle’s, a Caribbean-America restaurant and bar. Kim is also opening Kimchi Grill on Washington Avenue.
New restaurants have also opened two blocks east of Washington on Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights.
Sweet Basil, a new Thai place, opened in March and the Mexican restaurant Chavela’s, which was on Classon Avenue, moved east to the corner of Franklin Avenue and Sterling Place this summer.
Leave a Reply