Reporting by Stacie Joy
Veselka plans to resume its 24-hour service in the upcoming months, starting with weekends first, according to owner Jason Birchard.
We asked the third-generation owner of the Ukrainian restaurant about the hours during a visit last week. We were there to discuss the documentary "Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World" currently playing at the Village East by Angelika.
"I think it'll be just a Friday and Saturday to start," Birchard said. "And then work into like we did initially back in 1990 just to get our feet wet again. So, yes! It is coming. I think we're aiming for June 1, but maybe sooner."
Before the pandemic hit, Veselka served customers 24/7 for nearly 30 years on the SE corner of Second Avenue and Ninth Street. When the restaurant started returning to in-person dining, the hours were more limited.
In June 2022, Birchard said he couldn't find enough workers to staff Veselka for the around-the-clock schedule, Insider first reported.
As Restaurant Hospitality pointed out, eateries nationwide have cut back their weekly operating hours.
According to a recent 2022 report by menu and restaurant research firm Datassential, restaurants have cut back weekly operating hours by 7.5% or roughly 6.5 hours, compared to 2019. The overall 24-hour model in the United States has declined too: In 2022, there were 21,345 places open for 24 hours, compared to the 25,449 in 2020, according to Datassential.
Veselka is open daily from 8 a.m. to midnight, with an 11 p.m. close on Sunday.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Top photo by EVG; menu photo by Stacie Joy
15 comments:
They're gonna need a bigger borscht pot!
hoooooraaaaaay welcome 24-hour weekends!!
If they are open 24/7, does this mean the food will be hot when it gets to the table?
The main question for me is "will they ever make those little banana cream pies again?" When they reopened after Covid I posed the question to them several times and was always promised they would be back. Still waiting.
this is excellent news. We never know where to go after a semi-late night out... now we do! beets the deli
HIP HIP HOORAY!
Good! God, I hate how COVID wrecked NYC's 24/7-ness.
they're gonna party like it's 1996
I was at the film screening at the Village East last week, and Tom (2nd generation owner) said that from an infrastructure point of view, the 2nd Ave location is 'hanging on by a thread.' It really needs HVAC upgrades, kitchen upgrades, etc. A long-stalled renovation to take over the final portion of the building's first floor (toward 1st Ave) was delayed b/c of the war and the desire to keep the place open as a 'hub' for the Ukrainian community. He said there was talk of using the newly opened commissary kitchen in Veselka Williamsburg to supply 2 Ave with food and keep it 'sort of open' if renovations proceed, but no plans are in place yet.
All the musicians that I know that perform in the East Village are happy that Veselka will return to 24/7. Since the pandemic, the late night choices have been very limited for performers and their audiences after a show.
Or fellow service industry folks who work late.
The new post gentrification Veselka is, in contemporary parlance, a vibe and I wish them the best, but nothing beats the days/ nights when it still had the old backroom. Proper working class with a good mix punks, Ukies, and freaks. I knew a dealer who sometimes bust out a few small lines of coke after a breakfast of bacon and eggs or those amazing buckwheat pancakes soaked with butter and maple syrup. Decadent, weird old NY. Now that was a vibe........
Hope they bring back the whole menu also. I miss the Mac & Cheese!
Breakfast of champions
At 10:25 PM, Anonymous said:
Hope they bring back the whole menu also. I miss the Mac & Cheese!
I just want more vegan options than salad, bread, and coffee.
(P.S.—S'MAC serves a slammin' version of mac & cheese, including a vegan one.)
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