Feeling fenced in
Second Ave. eateries derailed by subway work try to get back on track
It’s hard for anyone walking up Second Ave. on Manhattan’s Upper East Side to look past the ripped-up streets, massive machines and ugly barricades.
But 25 restaurant owners who’ve endured the fallout from the Second Ave. subway construction for the past five years are hoping diners will do just that this week.
Monday marks the launch of 2nd Avenue Restaurant Week, a five-day promotion aimed at easing the pain of local eateries.
Participating restaurants will be offering diners either a three-course meal for $20.16 or 20% off their order.
“I’m hoping people come and they get a good deal and they keep on coming,” said Joe Pecora, owner of Delizia 92 Ristorante & Pizza, situated at the corner of 92nd St. and Second Ave.
Organized by the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the New York State Restaurant Association, the dining deals are part of a larger push to give the avenue’s beleaguered merchants a break.
Business owners have tried in vain to get the city and the state to provide grants and tax abatements. Now they are working with the chamber and MTA Capital Construction to lure foot traffic back to the avenue.
Past promotions have included special “Shop 2nd Avenue” MetroCards and advertisements in subway stations.
“We are looking to draw from all over the city,” said the chamber’s president, Nancy Ploeger.
But merchants say they are still hurting badly. Construction, combined with a down economy, have killed off at least 35 businesses since 2007, according to Pecora’s estimate. Restaurants, which depend heavily on street traffic, have been hit especially hard.
Neighborhood fixture Tony DiNapoli, at Second Ave. and 83rd St., closed its doors last year and has since reopened on Third Ave. More recent casualties include Mustang Grill at 85th St. and Crowe’s Nest at 93rd St.
Retail rents on the avenue are down by about 30%, said Amira Yunis, executive vice president at CBRE.
Business at Heidelberg Restaurant, a more than century-old eatery at 85th and Second, has fallen 30% since construction began, said its owner, Eva Matischak.
“I think this is the worst disaster in our history,” said Matischak, who is participating in the restaurant week promotion.
“I am 60, I would like to retire. But I can’t sell my business. Who wants to take over under these circumstances?”
For those who can survive the construction noise, barricades covering their storefronts, heavy traffic and limited parking, there could be a payoff down the road.
When the first phase of construction ends at the end of 2016, 213,000 will ride the line daily, the MTA predicts.
“As soon as things move along, there will be a great opportunity,” Yunis said.
The MTA has been meeting with local merchants and has instituted construction site upgrades, such as signs that help pedestrians find stores and restaurants.
“We’re sympathetic to the impact a project of this size and magnitude is having on area businesses,” said MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.
Eytan Sugarman, the owner of Southern Hospitality between 76th St. and 77th St., one of two in the city, said he’s hoping the restaurant week exposes his business to some new customers, though he does not have high expectations.
He opened on the Upper East Side in 2007, just as the subway construction was starting. Had he known then the extent of the disruption, he probably would not have chosen the site.
“It takes a toll,” Sugarman said. Over the next few years, “you will see a lot of victims to it. Hopefully not mine.”
pfurman@nydailynews.com