Recession in Turtle Bay

The best thing about Turtle Bay is that it has maintained its “neighborhood feel” despite its location in midtown Manhattan. However, small local businesses always feel the effects first, and suffer the most, during a slowing economy.

“Local families have stopped eating out," says Indigo restaurant manager Mike Alla.  "And this is a small neighborhood restaurant so we definitely feel the effects of the economy."  

Indigo has been suffering since early October, when the global financial crisis really started to hit hard. On a Monday night, this quaint, friendly Indian food restaurant was completely empty—servers and the manger waited, and hoped, for a customer to come.

While on the outside it appears as if only the restaurant is suffering, the owner, manager, and servers all have families to worry about. If the restaurant doesn’t make it—Mike and his workers are out of a job. Mike, who moved from Delhi in 1991, is a father of three. He has been at Indigo since its opening in 1992 and describes the workers as “family men.” 

“We all have big families to worry about,” Alla says.

Krunch Pizza is trying to use the recession as an advantage. The owner, Tom Valenti, says that while bars are suffering because it’s cheaper for someone to “buy a six-pack and take it home,” he is using his cheap pizza prices to lure in customers who can no longer afford to eat out at nice restaurants.

Tom lives in Staten Island with his wife and two children, who work at the restaurant on weekends. He sold his trade commodity business on Wall Street to buy the restaurant for his son in June 2006. Business has not suffered since the recession, and his grandma’s Sicilian pizza recipe is good enough to keep business going strong. (I tried a slice, and it is fantastic!)

“We still get our steady clientele that bring families, and those kids who buy pizza while stumbling home from the local bars,” Valenti says.

The global economic crisis does not look like it will end soon. And now it is only a matter of time before we will see the real effects—if these businesses will be able to hold on and survive, or if they will see closure before the economy picks up again.

Nino's Positano

Nino’s Positano, which critics blasted as overpriced and stuffy, has changed its business—and costumers like it. This attitude change is refreshing, and unexpected, in a neighborhood known for its old money and high-maintenance crowd. The new inviting atmosphere and eager wait staff has allowed the restaurant to expand its clientele and become an accepted, local hot spot.

In Turtle Bay, surviving by trying to meet the demands of old wealth, United Nations officials and young bankers is not an easy task—one that Nino’s has finally conquered after eight years. Johnny Gjekaj, the manager, agreed that the restaurant is located in a diverse neighborhood.

“We get people from the United Nations, old local couples and young bankers who just work in the area so there are a lot of different people to please,” Gjekaj said.

Nino’s Positano, which is located on Second Avenue between 47^th and 48^th streets, attracts customers for both lunch and dinner. “We attract United Nations officials with our Prix Fixe lunch menu but also make sure we have our traditional pizza for local families who come here for dinner,” Gjekaj said.

While the manager wears a suit and servers are required to wear ties to maintain their high-end clientele, they have made changes that make the restaurant friendlier. The owner, Nino Selimaj, is the hostess for lunch on weekdays and personally greets and seats customers. Servers stand in the outdoor seating area and greet customers with a “Ciao” and “Bon Appetite” to create a feeling of a family style restaurant. This has been a positive change after customers complained about rude waiters who “never stopped by the table unless to take the bill.”

The biggest change at Nino’s Positano took place about three months ago with the addition of a gelato cart. The homemade gelato comes fresh from its sister restaurant on Second Avenue and 72^nd Street, and has become so popular that Gjekaj plans to sell it during the winter. “Homemade gelato is really popular because it is hard to find homemade anything these days,” Gjekaj said.

A gelato cart on the street, an innovative idea in a neighborhood where walking is the primary form of transportation, has attracted a new set of customers who would otherwise not stop by the restaurant. Customers are able to order it after a sit-down dinner, or grab some on the go after work.

The restaurant was also renovated two years ago, creating an outdoor seating area, and expanding the upper level. The restaurant made sure to maintain its older traditional section on the lower level where it is quieter.

Two satisfied customers, Jenna Litell, 28, and Rebecca Hale, 27, enjoyed dinner in the outdoor seating area on a Monday night. Litell did not know what to order for dinner, and praised the helpful waiter for his suggestion. “The server said the wild mushroom ravioli was one of his favorites and I took his recommendation and I cleaned my plate,” Litell said.

Due to its attitude change, Nino’s Positano has reaped the benefits of recent success. The manager informs customers on their way out the door that “Nino’s” is working on opening its seventh location just north of Turtle Bay, on Second Avenue and 58^th Street.

Casting A Vote In Turtle Bay...

In Turtle Bay, Republicans and Democrats have one thing in common—their concern for the economy. For owners and workers of both local and chain businesses, the candidates’ tax policies are how they are winning votes. The owners and high-end money makers are voting for McCain, and the workers favor Obama’s tax breaks.

Doron Sarrf, one of the concierges at the Double Tree Hotel is voting for McCain. “Obama will raise my taxes, and raising taxes doesn’t promote growth,” Sarrf says. Similarly, Wally Chin, owner of the high-end Chin Chin restaurant, says business has suffered 15 percent, but is still a believer in hard work. “Obama will force me to share my wealth," says Chin.  "I don’t want to share my wealth to those on welfare.”

Morgan, the hostess at a local pub, used to work on Wall Street and was laid off two weeks ago. Despite this, she doesn’t believe in free handouts. “I’m not voting for Obama because I like working hard and getting rewarded and I don’t like Obama’s taxes,” she says.

David Young works at Tobaldi Fine Jewelry, and is voting for Obama because his annual salary isn’t high enough to be taxed with Obama’s plan. Barrington Richards, a worker at a local deli on 50th street, is a Republican, but voting for Obama. “I don’t like Bush’s policies, and McCain is very similar to Bush” Richards says. Manfred Betances, the doorman at the Affinia 50 hotel, relies mostly on tips from guests. “The tourists have stayed the same, but Americans are tipping less and getting cheaper," says Betances.  "We just need a change to fix this economy.”

At the local Nino’s Positano Restaurant, there is conflict between two waiters and the managers. Two waiters at Nino’s Positano said they are voting for the Democratic ticket. “It is not a vote for Obama, it is just a vote against McCain and his same policies as Bush,” say Senad and Edmond. Johnny Gjekaj, the manager, thinks differently. “I’m voting for McCain simply because Obama is new and we cannot trust him," says Gjekaj.  "We do not know what Obama will do once he gets in office. At least with McCain, we are safe.”