More about the layoffs at B Bar & Grill

[EVG file photo]

As we reported back on April 3, nearly 70 employees of the B Bar & Grill on the Bowery at Fourth Street were laid off in late March without any extension of benefits or offer of severance pay.

One of the now-unemployed B Bar staffers shared the letter sent to employees and signed by owner Eric Goode ...


[Click to go big]

As one former employee said:

Eric Goode responded to employee pleas for two weeks paid leave with very little - some directions about how to apply for unemployment and a "yours truly" sign off. This termination without pay was sudden and decisive, leaving many of the staff left with nothing to feed their families. Many of these staff members have worked at 20-plus years. Mr. Goode is currently living on his multimillion-dollar ranch in California.

Goode has enjoyed positive press in recent weeks for his role as the co-director and co-writer (along with Rebecca Chaiklin) of "Tiger King," the hit docuseries that recently debuted on Netflix.

BuzzFeed News talked with several former employees in a piece published earlier in the week titled "Their Wealthy Boss Was The Director Of 'Tiger King.' They Got Laid Off And Can’t Pay Their Bills."

[F]our staff members at the restaurant told BuzzFeed News that unlike other wealthy hospitality leaders who have donated salaries and worked to fundraise for those suddenly out of work, they have heard nothing from Goode as he enjoys Hollywood attention. Goode, they say, has the wealth and cultural influence to help them at a time when they need it most.

“They have families, they have children, they have mortgages to pay, and they spent a lot of their life working for B Bar,” said Luis Lugo, a former floor manager. “You’re the director of Tiger King and you own the Jane Hotel and you’re not a small mom-and-pop shop that’s struggling. You’re someone that has the financial resources to make a difference.”

And...

“It strikes me as unjust that I worked a long time for him and didn’t get anything in return,” said Eloy Aguilar, who worked for 25 years at B Bar as a line cook. “We need economic help, not just for me but also my other colleagues.”

There is a staff-driven GoFundMe campaign here.

As reported last fall, CB Developers paid $59.5 million for a stake in 358 Bowery — the B Bar & Grill's home since 1994. Goode, who owns a handful of hotels including the Bowery Hotel, has been assembling air rights to build a larger project on this corner space. B Bar was expected to close for good in August, per the former employee.

Previously on EV Grieve:
CB Developers pay $59.5 million for an interest in 358 Bowery — current home of the B Bar & Grill and likely a new development

B Bar & Grill lays off its staff without severance

A football-sized cocktail to go option on 3rd Avenue

As seen outside Bar None on Third Avenue between 12th Street and 13th Street... $20 for a to-go cocktail served in a football-sized container with an easy-sipping option... keep the container, and a refill is $15 ...

A free lunch for Engine Company 28, Ladder 11 on 2nd Street yesterday

In recent weeks, San Loco has created grab-n-go burrito grande meal packages for people interested in ordering food for local first responders, hospital staff or nursing home/senior center employees. (Details at this post.)

Yesterday, two local residents bought lunch for the 11 firefighters on duty for the afternoon shift at Engine Company 28, Ladder 11 on Second Street between Avenue B and Avenue C.

EVG contributor snapped this photo of San Loco co-owner Kimo Hing with Frank, Luke and Tom from the FDNY...



San Loco's Avenue C location is currently closed, but the outpost at 111 Stanton St. is open for takeout and delivery.

Previously on EV Grieve:
San Loco's special delivery to 2 local hospitals

Instagram follow of the day

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@frangosnyc ❤️ Open for takeout and delivery every day from 12pm-11pm

A post shared by EVIMA (@evimanyc) on Apr 17, 2020 at 10:16pm PDT

The Instagram account for the East Village Independent Merchants Association — @evimanyc — has been providing updates on local businesses that remain open... or ones that could use some support via online sales.

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@sakayanyc ❤️ Currently open with much needed goods to get you through all of this!

A post shared by EVIMA (@evimanyc) on Apr 16, 2020 at 9:54am PDT

C&B is selling its tables and chairs — to make room for a larger oven

[Image via Instagram]

Chef-owner Ali Sahin is selling off the tables and chairs in the back of C&B Cafe at 178 E. Seventh St. between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Details below!)

When restaurants are able to reopen for dine-in service following the COVID-19 crisis, C&B will remain a take-out only spot. However nice it was to sit back there and listen to the cafe's turntable playing some classic jazz, R&B or disco... Sahin has plans for that space.

His bread-making has gotten quite popular, and he is in the process of buying a larger oven with the help of a crowdfunding campaign.

As he noted in the campaign pitch:

I always made homemade bread for the cafe, but since the virus hit I’ve been making 30 loaves a day myself to keep the cafe afloat. What I came to realize is that the cafe needs to adapt in order to survive. I want to bring a bread oven in the back so that I can transform the cafe into a bakery and keep the essential supplies coming for the community, while keeping my own people on their feet.

Here's more from an Instagram post this morning:

It is a strange feeling getting rid of these things that gave more comfort to me the last 5 years than any bed or couch I lay down since I left my parents’ home.

Now I need to make some room for the oven as well as some cosmetic upgrades to the back room. So most of our furniture, and tableware are for sale now. Tables are $50 chairs are $30 each. Plates and bowls are $5. If you really need something like this but can’t afford it I will give you a pair for free.

Sahin has been putting in 80-hour weeks — mostly by himself — to keep C&B afloat during this crisis. He continues to pay his staff, whom he didn't want to put in harm's way by coming to work. One C&B employee did volunteer to return to work. The other C&B staffers continue to get paid.

Meanwhile, Sahin's bank informed him this week that there weren't any funds left for his small business in the SBA's Paycheck Protection Program. Eater yesterday reported on some of the NYC "small" businesses who did receive the loans, including $10 million for Shake Shack and Potbelly. [UPDATED 4/20: Shake Shack is returning the $10 million.]

oh, just a $1.6 billion dollar burger chain getting $10 million in government-loans, and which smaller independent venues got shut out from b/c there isn't any more money left in the program.

no big deal. https://t.co/sZMrv4Dz0c (by @TanayWarerkar)

— ryan sutton (@qualityrye) April 17, 2020

C&B is open Saturday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Iggy said knock you out

Because we need a little Iggy Pop right now (or at least I do). Here's "Knocking 'Em Down (In the City)" from the 1980 Solider release, his fourth studio album.

The annual Dance Parade will be online in 2020

[Photo from 2019 by Stacie Joy]

Mayor de Blasio announced this morning that the city is canceling concerts, festivals and all other nonessential events through May — and perhaps even June — in an effort to reduce coronavirus infection rates.

Per CNBC:

De Blasio said this means the cancellation of the Brooklyn Half Marathon, which had been scheduled for May 16, and SummerStage in Central Park, which had been scheduled to begin June 22. Such events, he said, go “against everything that we need to do to fight back the coronavirus.” He’s also weighing whether to keep public beaches closed, saying “I can’t see” opening them up yet because the outbreak isn’t contained.

Among the cancellations: The Dance Parade, which sees St. Mark's Place as a main route, and the subsequent Dancefest in Tompkins Square Park. The 14th annual Dance Parade was scheduled for May 16. Organizers have replaced it with the Dance Without Borders Virtual Parade. More details on how this will work are forthcoming, per organizers.

This also means there won't be a 44th annual St. George's Ukrainian Festival on Seventh Street on the third weekend of May. There hasn't been an official announcement about this just yet.

In other news from yesterday, the Mayor says that it's unlikely that city pools and beaches will open this summer.

"If things evolve we’ll assess our options going forward, but I can't project it now because it wouldn’t be safe to project it now," he said during his morning presser.

And ICYMI yesterday: Gov. Cuomo announced the extension of New York's shutdown of nonessential businesses to May 15.

An East Village business and local artists team up for Art Through Vintage

The East Village Vintage Collective (EVVC) on 12th Street has teamed up with 70 local artists to create Art Through Vintage, a collaborative online auction that kicks off today (April 17!) at noon.

EVVC owner Maegan Hayward had long talked about a project with local artists. With the COVID-19 crisis, Hayward thought that a collaboration would be a way to benefit both her shop between Avenue A and Avenue B and the many artists who have shared their talents with Art Through Vintage.

Hayward, working with The Flood, reached out to the artists to have them create unique art-meets-vintage pieces and make them available for purchase via an online auction. Proceeds are split between EVVC and the artists.

"It’s been amazing to see the NYC art community come together and give the store so much support," Hayward told me. "During this troubled time the hope is that collaborating on Art Through Vintage has helped the artists have a creative outlet as it has for us at the store. It will also bring some relief from financial stress to all of us while also bringing some fab art on vintage pieces to everyone who’s stuck inside."

You can find some of the items up for sale via the EVVC Instagram account here. You can find the auction at this link. It launches at noon (ET!) today.

View this post on Instagram

Window display for #artthroughvintage Thanks to @displaybydelphine for collaborating with us on this! These are just a few of the amazing pieces that will be going up for auction starting Friday April 17th! The countdown is on! Link in bio 👆 Art pictured by: @leroysplace @art_by_eyebrows @hannahdqydjp @toripoor @breemakesart @ed_heck @cbranstool @ettatorials @sfgrajales @theohiogirl @tomkrantzhaha @fire__flower @leopoldmasterson @itinplace @breemakesart @rabidartwork @buttsup @hissxx @marzipanphysics @saviorelmundo @displaybydelphine @its_all_sticky @from_old_school_to_new @miabombin @frank_ape @lookalittlecloser @jayjansen22

A post shared by E Village Vintage Collective (@evvintagecollective) on Apr 14, 2020 at 12:17pm PDT

You can now rent the Other Music documentary

The Other Music documentary is having a virtual cinema release starting today.

The film chronicles the 20-year history and legacy of Other Music, the shop on Fourth Street between Lafayette and Broadway, its influence on music in New York City and its closure in June 2016.



It was originally scheduled to debut Wednesday at the IFC Center on Sixth Avenue. Instead, for a limited time, you may stream it via our friends at Academy Records at 12th Street. (Link here.) Find other rental options here.

Here's an explanation of how it works via the film's website:

A film is offered online, for around the price of a movie ticket, to watch at home. The film will be available via over 50 record shops and theaters across the U.S., who will keep 50% of the net profits to help them get through this incredibly challenging time for small businesses. The rental process will be easy for the viewer. Once the customer purchases the film from the record shop or theater starting April 17 they will be instantly issued a rental via email. The film is viewable for 72 hours once you choose to start playing it on any internet-connected device, including laptops, tablets and smartphones.

Other Music's owners cited rising rents and the growing hardship of selling music out of a physical store as reasons behind the closure.

[La La] Laundromat update

La La Laundry reopened earlier this week on Avenue B at 11th Street after a two-week break.

EVG regular Lola Saénz shared these photos... as you can see, La La is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., with that last call for washing at 5:30 p.m. (and closed Sundays) ...



And gloves and masks are required inside...



No dry cleaning at the moment... and apparently they will deliver within a five-block radius.

You can find our list of open laundromats and dry cleaners from April 1 right here.

Someone vandalized the COVID-19 memorial on 10th Street and Avenue A

[Photo from April 11]

In recent days someone vandalized the COVID-19 memorial on the southeast corner of Avenue A and 10th Street that arrived on March 26 (first reported here).

It was originally created in honor of Edd Conboy, a licensed therapist and director of social services at Broad Street Ministry in Philadelphia, who died on March 20 of a stroke. He was 69. His brother Jim, an East Village artist, created this after his family was unable to hold a funeral in the midst of the COVID-19 outbreak.

The memorial continued to evolve to honor those who have died during the pandemic.

In an Instagram post, Jim Conboy noted that someone destroyed part of the memorial and took the styrofoam sculpture, titled "Transfiguration," that stood atop... He called this act "senseless."

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The memorial to the lost souls of Covis-19 was vandalized and my sculpture stolen . Senseless

A post shared by Jim Conboy (@conboyjim) on Apr 16, 2020 at 9:29am PDT

Spring break

Spring inside the tree guard made out of skateboard decks here on Seventh Street between Avenue A and Avenue B... TY Skateboard Gardener!

Grant Shaffer's NY See

Here's the latest NY See panel, East Village-based illustrator Grant Shaffer's observational sketch diary of things that he sees and hears around the neighborhood.

Anonymous East Village restaurant owners distribute meals to neighbors in need

Text and photos by Stacie Joy

“Do we have a plan?” I ask, as I walk in to the restaurant. “Not really,” I am told, “Let’s wing it.” I nod.

I’m at a local restaurant with the family who owns it and wishes to stay anonymous. The family has prepared home-cooked meals for East Village homeless folks and we’re about to set out to feed hot meals to people on the street who may need them.



I’m curious how it will work. I grab my camera as the family loads up their vehicle, puts on masks and gloves (and smiles), and head out.

We stop at several locations around the neighborhood and are successful in getting supplies to people. The pads and tampons are well received especially. I’m touched that they are included in the supply packets offered.



After all the meals and supplies are distributed, I talk with the volunteers about their experience and reasoning behind this undertaking.

What prompted the idea to prepare these meals to feed those most vulnerable in the neighborhood?

My husband and I are local restaurant owners, and although we’ve been doing business in the neighborhood for decades, we have never had so many people come into the restaurant asking for food.

We immediately felt the shift in the air as the talk of shutting down the city seemed inevitable. They deemed us an essential business, but most of the neighborhood around us (temporarily) closed and the streets vacated as people hunkered down to begin their shelter-in-place.

The very first day a woman in need came in crying, unable to get food or medicine for herself or her daughter. She kept repeating over and over and over “...this is terrible, this is terrible, this is terrible.” And the need among those living on the street has only escalated from there. People are scared and confused — and hungry. And, she’s right — it’s terrible.

How did you decide what to make and how best to package it?

We wanted to make a home-cooked meal that was comforting, so we decided on a simple boxed lunch with chicken, rice, roasted carrots, corn muffin and a chocolate brownie. The box made for an easy handoff with minimal contact. And, we threw in a new pair of socks...because clean socks make everybody feel better.



Have you ever done anything like this before?

No, not exactly like this. Over the years whenever we have extra food from catering or fundraisers, we’d donate it to the Catholic Worker on First Street.

What was the experience like? What were some of the reactions you received and how did it affect you?

It felt like a drop in the ocean. I think most were surprised that we were offering a full meal. The mention of chicken and roasted carrots seemed to cause a lot of excitement. Everyone was very grateful. I almost felt ashamed that such a simple gesture could spark such good cheer. It was incredibly humbling.

Do you have any suggestions for others interested in doing something similar?

I really don’t have specific suggestions. Just remember, a small gesture of kindness can go a long way. We just have to follow our hearts and be vigilant in our efforts to help the most vulnerable people in our community. And long term? Please vote. Let’s do better going forward.

Reader appreciation: Good Beer

Abfus shares this via the EVG inbox...

I'd like to recommend Good Beer on Ninth Street.

As the name suggests, Good Beer has always stocked an impeccable selection of domestic and international beer across every style. And it gets deliveries from local breweries several times a week, so that you can simultaneously support the locally owned store and the city's flourishing brewery scene.

Its social distancing measures are in full force: No cash, gloved employees, limited capacity and regular disinfection.

Good Beer is at 422 E. Ninth St. between Avenue A and First Avenue. They are open from noon to 8 p.m. daily for takeout only.

Want to share an appreciation of an essential East Village business that remains open during the COVID-19 crisis? Send us an email here. (We'll see how this goes! Thank you for the suggestions!)

Previously on EV Grieve:
• Reader appreciation: Le Fournil Bakery

• Reader appreciation: Abraço

• Reader appreciation: Post

• Reader appreciation: Zaragoza Mexican Deli & Grocery

• Reader appreciation: Barnyard Cheese Shop

Wednesday's parting shot

The President Trump Cheeto Volcano... spotted on Norfolk Street between Houston and Stanton... photo courtesy of Eden!

Flowers and candles for Jimmy Webb, plus a tribute from Iggy Pop

People have started leaving flowers, candles and other items in memory of Jimmy Webb outside I Need More, the boutique he owned at 75 Orchard St. on the Lower East Side...



Webb, a larger-than-life personality who worked for years at Trash & Vaudeville on St. Mark's Place, died yesterday of cancer. He was 62.

There were many more tributes to him on social media, including from Miley Cyrus, Karen O, Joan Jett, Debbie Harry, Alice Cooper and Billie Joe Armstrong. Here's what Iggy Pop had to say...

View this post on Instagram

MESSAGE FROM IGGY: “Jimmy was a ragged ray of sunshine in a world that’s getting darker. He became close with my wife Nina and I over the years. Being close with Jimmy involved a deluge of flowers, gifts, voice mails, texts and very long telephone conversations. The flowers tended to be fantastically huge floral arrangements and the gifts invariably wrapped in pink leopard skin, spritzed with glitter and little gold stars like the kind you get in kindergarten for being a very good boy. Both in texting and long hand, Jimmy never used the cursive or any smaller case letters, everything was in full speed caps with unending exclamation points. I first heard of Jimmy from a couple of frightened co- workers at Trash and Vaudeville, the New York rock boutique he managed for years. They told me I had a stalker but Jimmy wasn’t that bad, just a relentlessly enthusiastic fan who enjoyed your fame and oddity so much he wants to be you, and why not?⁣ ⁣This is the kind of guy who you don’t think you would miss until you do and then you miss him a lot, kind of Proust in street wear, showing his asscrack. For some years now, Jimmy lived alone in a basement apartment in Murray Hill and dedicated his life to his store ‘I Need More’, and to the people he collected through that theatre and a theatre it was, and he was it’s star, gossiping, laughing, cackling but always encouraging and spotlighting what he thought was beautiful about the people and world around him. It was his dream to have a store-as-theater like this, in the tradition of let it rock, manic panic and Trash and Vaudeville, also to be somebody and he really was so, he got where he needed to go. I knew he had been battling an illness for a long time and he showed incredible stamina and pluck in the fight.⁣ ⁣This is someone whose grave will be visited with flowers, cigarettes and love.⁣ ⁣Iggy”⁣ ⁣Photo by @carltimpone/BPA

A post shared by Iggy Pop Official (@iggypopofficial) on Apr 15, 2020 at 11:33am PDT

I Need More's official Instagram account also posted about Webb's passing...

View this post on Instagram

We lost an angel yesterday. Jimmy Webb is and will forever be loved by everyone. Jimmy is bringing people together even after his passing. This is what he would’ve wanted. Everyone has their own story and we hope that you can share them with us so that we can, together, mourn his passing. Everyone at I NEED MORE wants to thank all of you for your love and support that you’re showing. We will always remember Jimmy and celebrate the love he shared with us. 💕💓💕 (Photo: @theroxyhotelnyc)

A post shared by I NEED MORE (@ixneedxmore) on Apr 15, 2020 at 10:00am PDT

Masks now required to enter Sunny & Annie's

Sunny & Annie's, one of the last 24/7 delis remaining open, is now asking that customers wear a mask to enter their corner space on Sixth Street and Avenue B...



Danny & Louise, who shared these photos, did see staff turn away someone for not having a mask on when entering the deli.

On April 2, Mayor de Blasio urged New Yorkers to wear face coverings, such as cloth masks or bandanas, when going out in public to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Updated:

Today, Gov. Cuomo announced that he will issue an executive order requiring all New Yorkers to wear masks or mouth and nose coverings when they are in public.

Spring break

Two spring scenes from around Tompkins Square Park today...

A visit to the Interfaith Community Services Food For Life

It’s a gray day when I meet up with the team at Interfaith Community Services’ Food For Life, headquartered at 325 E. Fifth St. between First and Second Avenues, but the rain seems to be holding off for now.

Adi Purusha, trustee for Interfaith and one of today’s cooks, greets me and shows me the kitchari he’s made — this one with asparagus, cauliflower, rice and lentils. There's also banana bread with vanilla vegan icing, bowls of tangerines, sliced strawberries and a vat of jasmine tea with lemon.





The group provides approximately 2,500 hot vegetarian meals per month to homeless and those in need at Tompkins Square Park, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:30 a.m. I walk over to Tompkins Square Park while the van loads up and heads out.

The Food For Life team hops out of their van to set up the tent, tables, pots, and serving supplies like cups, bowls and spoons while a large line forms up Avenue A from Seventh Street through 10th Street, all the while maintaining social distancing.







Food service goes quickly, with each person getting to request their pleasure. One regular puts in a request for extra tangerines while another declines the banana bread due to his diabetes. All leave happy.

“If the cook is angry, the food will be angry too,” Purusha tells me, and smiles. “Our food is cooked with consciousness and love.”