AUSSIES DINE OUT IN THE BIG APPLE
SOME may consider it insane to open a restaurant in a global pandemic but that is what Aussie-turned-new York restaurateur Eddy Buckingham and his business partners did.
The 38-year-old forged ahead with plans to open Tyger, a Southeast Asianinspired restaurant.
“We’ve had so many chapters, and so many challenges,” Mr Buckingham said. “There was the experience of the shutdown, which now looking back, I have a completely different relationship to.
“The shutdown at the time was devastating. The nature of my industry, we run on a week-to-week basis, the way our economics are modelled.”
After opening downtown favourite Chinese Tuxedo (with cocktail bar Peachy’s below) in 2016, he was ready for the challenge despite regulations and rules changing so rapidly.
But Tyger has been an barnstormer and Chinese Tuxedo is doing better business than in 2019.
“It’s been a horrible period, but there’s been such a bonding among New Yorkers,” Mr Buckingham said.
“And while there’s still a long road to go until whatever normal is, we’re in an OK spot.”
Melburnian Justin
Giuffrida has had a similar experience with his New York-based cafe group, Citizens.
“Even in this strange world, people still want to get up and have their daily coffee,” Mr Giuffrida said.
He and Brisbane-born business partner Andrew Geisel founded the cafes in 2016 determined to bring an Aussie breakfast experience to the Big Apple. Four years, and four cafes later, it is working. New Yorkers are flocking for a good coffee, coconut yoghurt and avocado toast. So much so, there are plans to expand to up to 40 cafes across the country.
“For Australians, I don’t think we fully realise how advanced our cafe segment is among the world until you travel,” Mr Giuffrida said.
“Opening these Australian cafes, they bring together so many elements that New
York just doesn’t have.
“Because it was so fresh and so new, it’s become a hit.”
Citizens shut down for a few months but customers returned when it reopened.
“We’ve been fortunate to not only survive, but to do OK, retain most of our staff, which I’m really proud of and hopefully start expanding again,” Mr Giuffrida said.