Famous New York City restaurants that opened in Miami despite the COVID-19 pandemic are reaping the benefits of lesser restrictions with business reportedly booming and overflowing with customers and reservations.
While NYC’s once thriving hospitality scene has been largely paralyzed by the state’s strict COVID-19 measures, some restaurant owners say Miami has created new opportunities to expand and survive during the pandemic.
NYC’s high-end sushi chain Kissaki is one of the newest to open in Miami, as restaurateur and owner Garry Kafner prepares to open two new locations this year.
Famous favorites, such as Carbone, Cote and Sant Ambroeus, already have stores in Miami. Brooklyn’s popular Roberta’s pizzeria and Harlem hot spot Red Rooster also recently opened.
Those restaurants are not short of customers with Carbone, in particular, they are already seeing a three-month waiting list after only opening last month.
Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse Cote is nearly impossible to get a reservation, and those who do are limited to a 60-minute time limit for people to move in and out.
Famous New York City restaurants that opened in Miami despite the COVID-19 pandemic are reaping the benefits of lesser restrictions with business said to be booming. Carbone, in particular, already has a three-month waiting list after it only opened last month
Felix Bendersky (above), the owner of F + B Hospitality Leasing, told DailyMail.com the business is booming in Miami and restaurants continue to flee New York City
Felix Bendersky, the owner of F + B Hospitality Leasing, told DailyMail.com that the business is booming in Miami and restaurants continue to flee New York City.
“There are, I would probably say, about 150 groups in the last 60 days who have reached out to us looking for restaurant space,” he said.
Some have given up their New York projects to come here. They think that by the time New York gets back, they’ll be able to move on to Miami.
“I think it’s been a little crazy.”
Bendersky said tighter restrictions on New York’s hospitality industry are increasing demand in Miami.
“Unfortunately, the mayor and governor of New York have been my best promoters, sending all people our way,” he said.
After the initial shutdown, they had some hope that it wouldn’t be long for things to recover. But after the second stop, it really wiped out a lot of business owners.
“Knowing Florida isn’t going to close … people just pull the trigger.”
In Miami, restaurants are allowed to run at 100 percent capacity all winter long, as long as a social distance is maintained.
Florida Governor Rick DeSantis dropped all COVID-19-related restrictions in September last year.
Harlem hotspot Red Rooster (pictured above) also recently opened in Miami
Michelin-starred Korean steakhouse Cote is nearly impossible to get a reservation and those who do are limited to a 60-minute time limit for people to move in and out
The Altamarea Group behind Michelin-starred Marea and Ai Fiori in Manhattan opened its fifth, Osteria Morini, in Miami in early February.
Under New York’s current restrictions, indoor eating is now allowed in the city at a capacity of 35 percent.
The industry had to anticipate a harsh winter of outdoor dining only after indoor dining was banned in October as infections started to build up.
It means that indoor dining in New York was essentially banned for most of 2020.
Garry Kafner, the owner of Kissaki in NYC, now plans to open two new restaurants in Miami this year.
When the pandemic broke and crippled NYC’s restaurant scene under restrictions, Kafner opened up in the Hamptons and Connecticut.
“I think a lot of restaurants are very nervous about what happened,” he told DailyMail.com.
‘I think COVID took a lot of people away, but it also created a lot of opportunities. I always tried to move to Miami, but I think COVID sped that up.
‘It’s an exciting situation in Miami. I feel very good about the growth. ‘
He’s now focusing on Florida, given the number of people who fled New York City in favor of Miami during the pandemic.
‘Miami has always been a good place for restaurants. I feel that now, as many of the sectors are moving here … many families are moving here … that opens up a lot more opportunities for restaurateurs, ‘he said.
“Miami was a second home for many people and now it is becoming a primary residence.”
Among them is 28-year-old Carlyn Shear, a marketing consultant in New York City who has lived in Miami since January.
Shear said that while she still thinks NYC is the best city, she’s made the move because many of the things that made it great aren’t available right now.
She said all of her friends had also moved to Florida during the pandemic.
‘I recently signed a lease for an apartment here and I pay less than half of my rent in New York. My apartment here is probably twice the size, ”she said.
“West Palm Beach and Palm Beach have the feel of a small town, but you have a lot in common with New York, like similar types of restaurants and bars and people.”
Famous favorites, such as Carbone, Cote and Sant Ambroeus, already have a store in Miami
Garry Kafner (above), the owner of Kissaki in NYC, now plans to open two new restaurants in Miami this year. He’s focusing on Florida, given the number of people who have fled New York City in favor of Miami amid the pandemic
Among those moving to Miami is 28-year-old Carlyn Shear, a New York City marketing consultant who has lived in Florida since January. Shear said that while she still thinks NYC is the best city, she’s made the move because many of the things that made it great are currently unavailable.
New cases of Florida coronavirus continue to plummet after hitting record highs during the holiday peak.
Hospital admissions and deaths have also declined since the beginning of the year.
The state has now fully vaccinated nearly 9 percent of its population.
Cases, deaths, and hospitalizations are also declining sharply in New York, where about 8 percent of the population is fully vaccinated.
It’s because research published last month by the New York City Hospitality Alliance found that the number of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and event venues in NYC that have been unable to pay their rent has increased since the start of the pandemic.
It peaked at 92 percent in December.
The survey found that 45.2 percent of the companies surveyed paid no rent in December and 46.4 percent only paid a portion. Only 8.4 percent paid all their rent.
Of those who could afford part of their rent, nearly 50 percent paid half of their rent.
Of the 39.7 percent of businesses whose rent was forgiven by landlords during the pandemic, 41.4 percent had to pay half the rent.
Another 41.5 percent were forgiven for less than half of the rent and only 17.2 percent for more than half of the rent.
In the survey, 24.3 percent said they have not renegotiated their lease with the landlord, but are negotiating in good faith.
New cases of Florida coronavirus continue to plummet after hitting record highs during the holiday peak
Cases, deaths, and hospitalizations also decline sharply in New York, where about 8 percent of the population is fully vaccinated
Research published last month by the New York City Hospitality Alliance found that the number of restaurants, bars, nightclubs and event venues in NYC that have been unable to pay their rent has increased since the start of the pandemic.