Miss Prissy’s soul food Dreamer Glen stands in the space at 431 S. Warren St. in downtown Syracuse that she’s hoping to open as Missy Prissy’s soul food restaurant. The project has faced several delays.
(Don Cazentre/Don Cazentre)
After years of operating a food stand in the Salt City Market, Dreamer Glen launched a plan to open her own standalone restaurant in downtown Syracuse in April 2023.
But the opening of Miss Prissy’s soul food remains stalled as 2025 nears an end.
A major delay came in September 2024 when Glen was diagnosed with breast cancer. Glen says she’s now in remission after a year of surgery, radiation and chemo.
She and her partner, Cyrus Thornton, are back to work getting Miss Prissy’s ready. But they say they’re now delayed because National Grid has not completed the work needed to supply full power to the space.
The restaurant space only has power in its front half, which is the bar and dining area facing Warren Street. The rear of the space, which will house the kitchen, restrooms and storage areas, is still without power.
“We’ve gone as a far as we can go without that power,” she said. “The build-out has stopped.”
The power issue is also keeping Glen from moving forward with such things as obtaining a liquor license and other permits, hiring staff and even having a soda line installed in the bar.
Glen said National Grid has changed her “project manager” several times. “It’s like we have to start over every time,” she said.
National Grid spokesperson Jared Paventi said the utility has been working with Glen since 2024 “to obtain necessary documentation” to complete the work of connecting the back half of the business to the power grid. That connection can’t be made until the documents, including a site plan, are complete.
Miss Prissy’s soul food The kitchen area at 431 S. Warren St. in downtown Syracuse is still without power more than a year after Dreamer Glen announced plans to open her Missy Prissy’s soul food restaurant there.
(Don Cazentre/Don Cazentre)
The building is owned by lawyer Tom Cerio and the build-out is being done by contractor Redev CNY. Glen said both Cerio and the contractor have been helpful and supportive.
Glen closed the stand at the Salt City Market, and her current income comes from a catering business she operates.
Miss Prissy’s was one of 10 food stalls that took space in the Salt City Market when it first opened in late January 2021. It was one of eight stands operated by first-time entrepreneurs who competed for space there.
The new Miss Prissy’s will keep the American soul food theme Glen offered at the market stand, but will have some new items. The market stand’s menu featured items like roasted chicken, yams and collard greens and a signature Sassy Sauce.
The space on South Warren was once a restaurant called Meltzers III, but it closed decades ago. Glen said she recognizes the difficulty of converting the vacant space into a modern restaurant.
Some of the other food stand operators at Salt City Market have successfully opened standalone locations, but most of those were in spaces that had recently been restaurants.
One of those is Erma’s Island, a Jamaican stand at the market, which is opening in the recently closed Modern Malt location in Armory Square.
“It would definitely have been easier to move into a space that was ready like that,” Glen said. “So this is a challenge, and we need to get this situation fixed.”
Miss Prissy’s, Syracuse Miss Prissy’s, a former soul food stand at the Salt City Market, is working to open a full-service restaurant next year at this location, 431 S. Warren St. (Don Cazentre | dcazentre@syracuse.com) (Don Cazentre)
Dining and Cooking