Afandi Grill bringing food from Central Asia to 1st Avenue

Coming soon signage is up now at 149 First Ave. between Ninth Street and 10th Street for Afandi Grill, which will offer cuisine from Central Asia ...



The website advertised on the poster isn't live just yet... so not sure of their menu, presumably featuring cuisine from Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.

This is a pretty small space, so it may primarily serve as a to-go operation. The storefront has been vacant since This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef closed in March 2014. A psychic adviser has been set up outside of late.

Thanks to Steven for the photos!

Previously on EV Grieve:
So you want to rent the former This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef space

Landlord tells residents of 149 First Ave. that they need to vacate ahead of demolition

So you want to rent the former This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef space

This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef, the four-plus-year-old restaurant known for mixing beef and Cheese Whiz at 149 First Ave., closed for good this past March.

The listing arrived for the storefront between East Ninth Street and East 10th Street back in April.

An East Village resident with an interesting in leasing the address looked into what it would take to open a business here. The reader shared that information with us to illustrate what it takes to pay for a small retail space around here these days.

The asking is $9,500 rent per month, with another $50 per month in real-estate taxes. So that would be $9,550 per month.

$9,500/4 = $2,375 per week in rent

$9,500.00/30 = $316.66 dollars a day in rent

The store is 10 feet wide by 50 feet deep without a garden. (The broker said that it was 500 square feet on the top floor and 500 square feet in the basement. They are counting the basement as a rentable floor.)

The landlord wants six months up front plus the first month's rent. So just to lease that space ($9,550 x 7) you'd need $66,850. For the year: $9,550.00 x 12 = $ 114,600

Aside from rent, there are the renovation costs … and then the ConEd bill, insurance, trash pickup, phone/Internet, credit card processing fees and various taxes, and so on. Not to mention payroll. And something for the owner.

Per the resident: "What can you sell legally in a 10-foot-wide space to generate all that income? I'd like to know."



Find a PDF of the retail listing here.

The Marshal seizes This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef space, which is now for rent

That's it for This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef. The Marshal came calling yesterday, taking possession of the four-plus-year-old restaurant known for mixing beef and Cheese Whiz at 149 First Ave.

There's also a for rent sign in the front window.





The saga here began on March 12 when the city closed the sandwich shop, run by the team behind Artichoke Basille, "for operating without a permit."

A handwritten note appeared a few days later explaining that the restaurant "forgot to renew" its permit. The note mentioned that they would reopen.

To date on this two-block span of First Avenue, we're now down two quick-serve sandwich places. JoeDough closed at 135 First Ave. in February. The proprietors plan to use the space for their catering operation. At the same time, though, Schnitz has opened at East 11th Street.

Previously.

An eviction notice for This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef

[March 12]

On March 12, the city closed This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef for "for operating without a permit."

A handwritten note appeared a few days later here at 149 First Ave. noting the oversight with the paperwork…



The says that they'd reopen "early in the week" (this being the week of March 17).

Now, though, an eviction notice has arrived on the door…



The notice is dated today.

This Little Piggy Had An 'Ooops'

[Last week]

A quick follow-up to the DOH notice that appeared last week at This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef for "for operating without a permit."

The folks at the roast beef sandwich shop added a handwritten note here at 149 First Ave. with a pretty honest explanation...



"Ooops … We forgot to renew our permit." And they will be back open early this week.

City temporary closes This Little Piggy Had Roast Beef

The city has temporarily closed the roast beef shop at 149 First Ave. "for operating without a permit," according to the two signs on the quick-serve restaurant near East Ninth Street…



The signs are dated Wednesday … no word on what the infraction might be for…