Monday, November 19, 2018

Ummburger has closed on 1st Avenue



After a little more than a year in business at 99 First Ave. at Sixth Street, Ummburger has closed... the gates had been down of late during announced business hours... then a for rent sign arrived late last week...



Ummburger seemed doomed from the get-go, to be honest, with cutesy names for their burgers (the Good Morning Vietnam, for instance) ... and, well, the name for the restaurant. The drinks menu included the "Ummazing Chalices," 38-ounce fish bowl cocktails on dry ice for $25.

NYU's Washington Square News featured Ummburger in an article from February on restaurants suffering from a drop in business after the New Year.

[Co-owner Salil Mathew] put out a 40 percent discount coupon for students in Campus Clipper magazine after the holidays, aiming to attract local college students in the hope they would return later, paying full price.

Because of the dip, Mathew has been forced to lay off employees, and by his estimation, has had to cut work hours by as much as 50 percent. Balancing a new restaurant, a second job as a nurse manager and a family, Mathew hopes his steep discounts will bring him a much-needed break.

Previously on EV Grieve:
Ummburger makes it official on 1st Avenue

Ummburger vying for the Mancora space on 1st Avenue
at

6 comments:

  1. JQ LLCNovember 19, 2018 at 9:54 AM

    Will someone paint over those ugly ass giant paintings of food?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousNovember 19, 2018 at 10:10 AM

    Why did he think this was a good concept/idea, anyway?

    Ummburger, really?

    ReplyDelete
  3. AnonymousNovember 19, 2018 at 11:08 AM

    "Balancing a new restaurant, a second job as a nurse manager and a family..."

    No - JUST NO! - owning/running a restaurant is not a side hustle or something you can have with a side hustle. Don't even get me started on the "and a family" part.

    ReplyDelete
  4. GiovanniNovember 19, 2018 at 2:34 PM

    This spot was on the East Village Deathwatch from day one. Those gates painted with the giant-ass, garish-looking fruit cocktails and hamburgers just made the place look like it had already closed down, which it usually was whenever I passed by. It’s Ummazing thay lasted this long.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Scuba DivaNovember 19, 2018 at 8:01 PM

    At 11:08 AM, Anonymous said:

    No - JUST NO! - owning/running a restaurant is not a side hustle or something you can have with a side hustle. Don't even get me started on the "and a family" part.

    So true; places like Casa Adela and Ciao for Now only still exist because the family runs the business.

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousNovember 20, 2018 at 11:48 AM

    It was a gamble - the $20 hamburger scene is picky - kind of a dumb name

    ReplyDelete

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