From Diner to Fine European Foods

The scaffolding is now going up around Bowlmor Lanes. The end is nigh.

Visit the newly opened Figa at 15 East 12th St. for what looks to be tasty Italian food.

Gothamist reports:

A cereal saloon? In Union Square?? In this economy??? Not anymore, I’m afraid: The Kellogg’s NYC cafe, a large windowed box where tourists could pay too much to eat cereal suspended in midair, has closed. “Closed abruptly,” according to Eater, its empty husk reimagined as a holiday pop-up slinging fancy donuts.
The Kellogg’s NYC website confirms the closure: “We are sincerely thankful for the support of all our great guests of this unique cereal experience,” it screams in all caps. “While Kellogg is busy creating the next adventure, the Union Square Space will be open as a White Box space through our partner Co.Create NYC for events.”

If, in turn, you were wondering what a White Box space is, here’s some start-up word salad for you to digest: “The White Box is where brainstorms become brand activations, product innovations become pop-ups, fever dreams become private parties.” (On which most of Union Square would theoretically be able to spy, considering the whole storefront is glass.)

In June of 2016, Kellogg’s NYC opened its first cereal cafe in Times Square, offering tourists bowls of refined carbohydrates for the totally-reasonable-what-do-you-mean price of $6 to $8. The menu had been enhanced by Christina Tosi of Momofuku Milk Bar, possibly to justify the price, I guess? Anyway, the venture’s perhaps improbable success prompted a move to a bigger space overlooking Union Square in 2017, a boom year for Instagrammable cereal, for whatever reason. Located at 31 East 17th Street, the new digs were more than five times bigger than the old ones, according to Eater. Kellogg’s dropped prices — $1.50 for your basic bowl of Frosted Flakes (a family-sized box of which currently costs $3.79 at Target) or Special K; $4 for a jazzed-up bowl with toppings — but this more affordable fare does not appear to have done the trick.

Kellogg’s NYC did not address Gothamist’s questions about the reason for the departure, so we can’t say for sure what prompted the closure. Still, a slew of better-established businesses have vacated the neighborhood in recent months and years, typically citing rents rising at wildly unrealistic rates. Coffee Shop shuttered in October 2018, to be replaced by a Chase Bank and by CHLOE. In January, Blue Water Grill closed its doors, a spokesperson for its owner (an actual billionaire) explaining, “Even though this is one of New York’s most successful restaurants, it can’t be successful with a $2 million plus rent.” In 2017, popular eatery Republic announced its impending relocation, due to the mounting financial burden of a Union Square lease, and in 2015, Danny Meyer explained that he had to move his Union Square Cafe because of “untenable rent escalations.”

Meanwhile, demand for Kellogg’s product has reportedly been waning across the board. Without knowing exactly how much it costs to rent a centrally located sky lounge, one designated specifically for the consumption of Frosted Mini Wheats and their ilk, it’s hard to guess at the overhead Kellogg’s NYC faced. It seems reasonable to expect, though, that the rent would be high — too high, even, for Big Cereal to justify?!?! What have we come to??

But take heart, my Froot Loops, because a statement from Kellogg’s suggests the brand isn’t done with you yet:

We have been lucky to have wonderful support from cereal fans and media alike. We are committed to continuing to bring more unique and engaging experiences to Kellogg’s cereal fans in the future. Kellogg has loyal, passionate fans that constantly seek the chance to interact with our iconic brands. We believe this includes in-person experiences that push the imagination and provide unexpected opportunities to experience cereal, something they’ve been connected to their entire lives, in a completely new way. That was our belief when we opened the first café and fans have responded positively and asked for more ever since. Stay tuned for updates on our next chapter!

If you’re having trouble coming up with a composting strategy, read this article from the New York Times Wirecutter, which provides insight into the available options for composting bins and buckets.

 

A Greenwich Village parking garage at 12 E. 13th St. between University Place and Fifth Avenue will be transformed into eight large condominiums, in another sign of the city’s booming ultra-luxury market.

The building, which sold for $32 million in 2012, will feature eight apartments—a mix of full-floor units and duplexes—with expected asking prices range from $7.5 million to $28.5 million for the top triplex, according to the project’s developers. Occupancy is expected by the end of 2014.

The project is a joint development by DHA Capital LLC and Continental Properties.

The developers plan to add four more floors to the eight-story building, which was built in 1930. A portion of the rear will be demolished and replaced with the new stories, and it will also receive a new façade with elongated bricks to make the windows wider.

The 10th, 11th and 12th floors will make up one triplex, while all of the ninth and part of the eighth floor will make up a duplex with an asking price of $18 million. The building will be topped by a glass structure being added as part of the 6,000-square-foot triplex penthouse.

The building will feature a 24-hour concierge, an automated parking system, a small gym, individual storage space and street-level retail.

The building is currently undergoing demolition, and reconstruction work will begin in a month or two.

Steven Fisch of Continental Properties, a family business started by his father in 1957, said this was their first joint venture with DHA Capital LLC, and the two groups looked at other properties before deciding on this one.

“One major factor was the size of the block, the location obviously, and the ability to do something very special, to create almost a work of art with full-floor condos,” said Mr. Fisch. “It’s very hard to find a 67-foot-wide building.”

Mr. Fisch said the two groups decided to create an ultra-high-end luxury building rather than smaller, more affordable apartments because there has been very strong demand for this type of housing over the past five years, and a shortage of supply.

He said they also wanted to distinguish themselves from large buildings featuring 150 and 200 apartments.

“It is in a location, and a time in New York City, when this can happen,” said Mr. Fisch.

Richard Cantor, a principal at Cantor-Pecorella, is marketing the condos. Mr. Cantor said none had been sold yet, but the ultra high-end luxury residential market is very strong.

“There’s been a huge uptick in prices in the high end, it’s a very strong market,” said Mr. Cantor.

He said the building doesn’t have a “pretentious” name, and is just known by its address to keep it simple.

The last tenant at the 45,000-square-foot parking garage was Hertz Rental Car, which vacated once its lease expired.

All businesses in the Bowlmor building with the exception of the pita place have now closed. Demolition (plus two years of construction) now seems imminent.