Save Big Nick’s!
We’ve heard those words again and again in the past couple of weeks since we reported that the 50-year-old neighborhood staple Big Nick’s Burger & Pizza Joint on 77th and Broadway is likely to close.
Owner Nick Imirziades, however, doesn’t seem interested in a neighborhood campaign to try to stop the restaurant from closing. In fact, he’s just urging people to keep coming to the restaurant:
“Thank you all so much for your support and encouragement,” he recently wrote on Facebook. “The best help you can give me right now is to do as you always have done–stop by for a meal! Love to see everyone.”
Nick hasn’t responded to our questions about negotiations with his landlord. But he’s clearly been enjoying the support he’s getting: “So much of the time, we only hear from our customers when something is wrong (well…I guess something IS wrong) and it is so meaningful to get such responses. Thank you.”
Gale Brewer’s office tells us that they believe the negotiations with the landlord are continuing.
In the meantime, the restaurant is launching a new promotion: Kids Eat Free in Tuesdays! The cutoff age for “kid” is 12 years old, an employee tells us. (Smart move. I have a teenage cousin who could easily eat 6 cheeseburgers, which would not be very good for business.)
Either this promotion is a way to entice people into the restaurant to try to support a higher rent, or it’s Big Nick’s final gift to the community. Either way, nice promotion.
We’ll keep you updated as the Big Nick’s story unfolds.
We should take these matters into our own hands — does anyone know the name and address of Big Nick’s landlord?
Anyone up for a letter-writing campaign??
I’d write a letter! How can we find out who the landlord is?
The name of the building owner is in our original story if you want to write a letter: https://www.westsiderag.com/2013/01/07/big-nicks-burger-pizza-joint-could-close-after-big-rent-hike
It is time for the City to step in and save small businesses like BIG NICKS. If NY can give tax breaks to big developers so that billionaires can buy $100 million apartments, NYC should be able to structure a program to keep small business in our neighborhood.