A socialist mayor is creating the most anti-business climate the Big Apple has ever seen \u2014 but that hasn\u2019t stopped numerous Big Apple restaurateurs from doubling down and investing in the city they love so much.<\/p>\n
Stathis Antonakopoulos is opening seven restaurants here this year \u2014 the first, fine dining eatery Delos, opened in Midtown in January.<\/p>\n
\u201cMayors come and go, but the city remains,\u201d he told Side Dish.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Stathis Antonakopoulos is opening seven restaurants here this year \u2014 the first, fine dining eatery Delos, opened in Midtown in January. Courtesy of Mentis Studio<\/p>\n
He strongly opposes Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s push for the state to boost the minimum wage to a jaw-dropping $30 per hour in the Big Apple.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t change the state\u2019s minimum wage. New York is still a city, not a state,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Like many in the business community, Antonakopoulos is also against Mamdani\u2019s far-left calls to tax the rich, saying of the idea: \u201cIt helped him get elected but the reality is that he can\u2019t implement it in this city because you can\u2019t pick and choose to only tax the rich.\u201d<\/p>\n
Undeterred, Antonakopoulos opened Delos on West 47th Street earlier this year. He has plans to open another outpost this fall in Tribeca.<\/p>\n
He is also opening Carnegie Diner & Cafes from Tribeca and FiDi to Brooklyn\u2019s City Point and Paramus, NJ, through next year.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s on top of the five Carnegie Diner & Cafe locations he already runs in the city, plus branches in New Jersey and Virginia.<\/p>\n
Antonakopoulos strongly opposes Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s push for the state to boost the minimum wage to a jaw-dropping $30 per hour in the Big Apple. Courtesy of Daniel Kwak<\/p>\n
\u201cNobody puts New York City in the corner. Nobody puts baby in the corner. We learned to dance dirty many years ago,\u201d Antonakopoulos said, quoting a famous line from the movie \u201cDirty Dancing.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
He\u2019s also opening his first rooftop bar, Voco Roofbar, at the Voco Hotel in Times Square.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that the mayor will have an awakening when he sees how the city really works after his first year,\u201d Antonakopoulos said.<\/p>\n
He should know \u2013 he moved to the city from Athens in 1999, when he was 21.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the city that never sleeps or dies. I will never turn my back on New York,\u201d he said. \u201cIt gave me everything I have.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Antonakopoulos opened Delos on West 47th Street earlier this year. He has plans to open another outpost this fall in Tribeca. Courtesy of Mentis Studio<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not sidelined by politics \u2014 local or federal. If you give people good food and good service, they will come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Antonakopoulos is not alone.<\/p>\n
Renwick Hospitality \u2014 the force behind Lindens, Foxtail, ART Soho and much more \u2014 is opening Golden Child, a rooftop bar at Hotel Park Ave NYC in Nomad in Midtown.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to think that all of the mayors of New York are hoping for the best for businesses,\u201d said Gary Wallach, Renwick\u2019s managing partner.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether you agree with [Mamdani\u2019s] politics or not, you want to be hopeful that the politicians you elect will improve their cities for the people who live there and the businesses that offer spaces for people to enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Renwick Hospitality \u2014 the force behind Lindens, Foxtail, ART Soho and much more \u2014 is opening Golden Child, a rooftop bar at Hotel Park Ave NYC in Midtown.\u00a0 Courtesy of Nicholas Lee Ruiz<\/p>\n
\u201cI like to think that all of the mayors of New York are hoping for the best for businesses,\u201d said Gary Wallach, Renwick\u2019s managing partner. Courtesy of Nicholas Lee Ruiz<\/p>\n
Golden Child\u2019s modern American menu is from executive chef Carsten Johannsen. It offers a playful take on childhood favorites, like a gourmet PB&J with pear, brie and ham, and \u201cThe Only\u201d Golden Osetra Caviar served with potato chips, cr\u00e8me fra\u00eeche, chives and caramelized onion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
There will also be elevated pizzas, along with burgers and chicken \u201ctendies\u201d with a caesar salad dip, plus a fun cocktail program.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, restaurateurs Kiril and Metodija Mihajlov \u2013 who own the popular Consulate with branches on the Upper West Side and Midtown \u2013 are gearing up to open their third outpost at 560 Third Ave. in Murray Hill in the former Rio Grande space next month. They are also opening an elevated sports bar, At the Office, at the same address at the same time. That\u2019s after the couple opened The C Cafe in the West Village in September.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Restaurateurs Kiril and Metodija Mihajlov \u2013 who own the popular Consulate with branches on the Upper West Side and Midtown \u2013 are gearing up to open their third outpost at 560 Third Ave. in Murray Hill. A rendering, above. Courtesy of Larisa Mihajlova<\/p>\n
\u201cI invested millions, so I can\u2019t stop,\u201d Kiril Mihaljlov said. Courtesy of Larisa Mihajlova<\/p>\n
Kiril Mihaljlov said he signed the lease for the Murray Hill space last year, before the mayoral election.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just watch my business,\u201d he said, adding that the problems he\u2019s facing \u2014 \u201clike the price of eggs going up 100% this week\u201d \u2014 aren\u2019t connected to the mayor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI invested millions, so I can\u2019t stop. I have to open the businesses and try to make money. I can\u2019t close,\u201d said Mihaljlov, who continues to create neighborhood restaurants that New Yorkers love.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A socialist mayor is creating the most anti-business climate the Big Apple has ever seen \u2014 but that hasn\u2019t stopped numerous Big Apple restaurateurs from doubling down and investing in the city they love so much. Stathis Antonakopoulos is opening seven restaurants here this year \u2014 the first, fine dining eatery Delos, opened in Midtown<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2012,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[93,69,909,332,414,389,415,68,406,2574],"class_list":["post-2011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-business","tag-food-drink","tag-metro","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-fine-dining","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-fine-dining","tag-restaurants","tag-side-dish","tag-zohran-mamdani"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.diningandcooking.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}