Despite indoor dining ban, Israeli restaurant owners in NY optimistic

Although New York Governor Andrew Cuomo ordered New York City indoor dining to come to a halt on Monday for at least two weeks, most Israeli restaurant owners in the city are optimistic about their establishments staying put, and reopening, once COVID-19 is over.Some 93% of those polled in a new study released by the New York Israel Business Alliance (NYIBA) say that they think they will weather the pandemic, but 77% said they need to offer indoor dining to stay in business.For Inna Mashiach, the owner of Brooklyn-based Reunion, closing down during COVID-19 was never an option.  “We invested in special heating lamps to offer patrons a chance to eat outside in healthy conditions despite the snow,” she told The Jerusalem Post.“As newcomers to America, my husband and I don’t have the option of shutting down. We don’t have family here or a security net to fall back on. We did everything we can to remain open during these hard times.”  Working in the food business since she was a teenager, Mashiach and her husband opened the restaurant in 2014 after her father provided the initial investment. “How could I close and let him down like that?” she joked.  The decision to shut-down in-doors dining would prove as “the last straw” for many city restaurants and jobs., warned Executive Director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance Andrew Rigie.

Manhattan, he pointed out, has a positivity rate of 2.7%, far less than other counties in the state, counties which still permit in-door eating options.Restaurants in NYC were linked to 1.4% of infection cases, in comparison, living rooms account to 74%, ABC reported.Among the Israelis, 70% were forced to let workers go during the past year, half argued more aid is needed to save the food industry and 35% pointed to the expected return of tourists and regular office hours as the two factors which could save the industry.The surge of Israeli start-ups relocating to NYC led to unprecedented interest in Israeli foods, NYIBA President Aaron Kaplowitz told the Post. The study found 173 Israeli-owned restaurants in the state, out of which 30 were willing to fill out a questionnaire.  Kaplowitz pointed out that the value of serving the community came in second place (23.3%) after making enough money to secure the business (53.3%). The value of community was clearly noted by 66.7% of the responding owners, who said local residents had been helpful to them in the last nine months.  “In some Jewish communities they arranged for those offering kosher food to sell during specific times,” he told the Post. “This is excellent for those who keep kosher and, for whatever reason, were not able to leave the house to buy products or eat out. It was also wonderful for business owners who wanted to increase sales.” He added that kosher food deliveries went up in several Jewish communities in the state.  When asked if they got any help from the federal government, 93% said that they took a Paycheck Protection Program. However, only half thought the government had been clear concerning its COVID-19 guidelines. Most (56.7%) did not take an Economic Injury Disaster Loan.While New Yorkers were already familiar with some Israeli foods such as hummus and falafel, they are now able to enjoy Ethiopian-Israeli foods served at Harlem’s Tsion Café, or relish a hot shakshuka during winter at Brooklyn’s Reunion restaurant. Israeli-owned does not have to mean kosher, a bagel, or pita-bread. New Orleans-inspired restaurant 1803, for example, is owned by Israeli Chef Rafi Hasid. Vietnamese eatery Bricolage is also Israeli-owned.  Beejhy Barhany, the owner of Tsion Café, offers a blend of Ethiopian dishes, Yemeni malawah, and even Nigerian Jollof rice.Merging both Ethiopian and Israeli cultural heritage, Barhany is deeply connected to the unique legacy Harlem has to offer, and has been serving her local community for the past 6-years by offering healthy and tasty eating options.In a video released on social media, she shares how honored she is to be working in the same location of Jimmy’s Chicken Shack, an eatery which served jazz giants as well as Malcom X and comedian Redd Foxx.“We ask for your support and help,” she says, “we’ve been here for six years, we want to be here for at least another six!”  “Overall the response was positive,” she told the Post, “people are having a hard time right now so everything given is greatly appreciated. Those who can’t offer money ask if there’s a way they can offer other kinds of help. We’ve been giving back to the local community by offering free meals to essential workers and anyone who might be in need.”“You have to persevere to survive in this business,” she said. “Immigrants contribute a lot to the food business and the diversity of New York, we’re happy to be a part of that.”When he asked owners for feedback, Kaplowitz got a wealth of insights into how the food industry hustled to keep working during these hard times.“We identified that many of our guests are cooking at home,” one owner said, “so we are selling the fresh products we make to implement into the home dining experiences.”  Others lowered prices or offered family-friendly options for those who had to say home with children due to schools being closed. While all agreed that, yes, money would be welcomed to keep their restaurants going, they confessed that they are always seeking good office workers or just hoping for good weather to put people back on the street looking for a tasty take-out option.  
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