NYC Deli Market Corp. moving into the former Wacky Wok space

The 4-year-old Wacky Wok closed on Avenue D and East Ninth Street at the start of this year.

Workers have been renovating the space … and the sign of the new tenant recently arrived — NYC Deli Market … the signage shows that they'll be offering the usual deli fare these days — sandwiches, hot and cold drinks, organic products…

Wacky Wok has closed

The 4-year-old Wacky Wok has closed on Avenue D and East Ninth Street. The owner of the healthyish Pan Asian restaurant told WW fan Zachary Mack simply that "costs were over running our income. We needed more walk-by traffic."

Wacky Wok was also known for a fairly aggressive menu-dropping campaign around the East Village … with menu droppers who could easily slip into the Wacky Wok time continium vortex.

As we wrote in September 2012:

At some point, every single home or business or church or structure of any kind — empty, under-construction or abandoned — in the East Village has had a Wacky Wok menu placed on the front door. Multiple times. Maybe daily. Probably daily.

Regardless, we mostly liked their food… they will be missed.

And RIP Wacky Wok Menu Dropper Guy…

Previously on EV Grieve:
Looking for the elusive Wacky Wok menu dropper

Looking for the elusive Wacky Wok menu dropper

At some point, every single home or business or church or structure of any kind — empty, under-construction or abandoned — in the East Village has had a Wacky Wok menu placed on the front door. Multiple times. Maybe daily. Probably daily. I'd argue that there are more Wacky Wok menus around than any locksmith cards combined.

I've spent too much time thinking about this through the months. (Years?) Do the Wacky Wok menu droppers work on commission? Are they paid by the gross tonnage of menus delivered? Does Wacky Wok have a printing press in their basement on Avenue D at East Ninth Street? Is Wacky Wok a better name than, say, Wok and Roll?

Anyway, I always seem to run across the locksmith people bombing the doorways. But I've never seen anyone from Wacky Wok leaving the menus behind. Once, I walked into my building and, about 45 seconds later, decided to run another errand. In that time, someone put a Wacky Wok menu on the door. I quickly scanned the street with the enthusiasm of a child catching Santa in the living room (preferably late on Dec. 24). There wasn't anyone in either direction.

Anyway, I started taking photos of the WW menus. A sampling.

Well, you get the idea.

Then, the other day, I spotted this fellow pulling the cart thing stick a menu on the front door of 100 Avenue A, the former grocery that has been sitting empty for seven months now...

He turned east on Seventh Street. I followed to watch him work. When I rounded the corner ... he was gone. Into, presumably, the Wacky Wok time continium vortex.

Now this isn't anything against Wacky Wok, a healthyish Pan Asian eatery. For me, it's a curiosity, not an annoyance. And I've ordered food from here, and have mostly found it agreeable. And I have four or five menus to choose from every time that I call.