New York is the epitome of the pulsating big city – but in Corona times it has lost some of its radiance. Hardly anyone goes out in the evening – to the chagrin of the many restaurants.
By Antje Passenheim, ARD-Studio New York
“I did it!” – He did it. Vincent Lin followed his passion. Happy he stands behind the bar of his brand new restaurant in the heart of Manhattan. “My passion is not restaurants, but business. I want to take risks,” says the 28-year-old – and the risk could hardly have been greater: a restaurant in the middle of Manhattan, in times of the pandemic.
Hardly anywhere else do so many restaurants go bankrupt as here. Especially in Midtown: Until March a pulsating dream location, the “Blue Willow” is now between two problem areas. “We lost the tourists on 5th Avenue and all the office workers on 6th Avenue,” explains Lin.
Famous restaurants fall victim to Corona
More than 1300 restaurants in the “Big Apple” have closed forever since March. The long lockdown, the move of companies to the home office and millions of missing tourists have ruined them. The “Boat House” in Central Park, the setting for films such as “Harry and Sally”. Or the Smith & Wollensky Steakhouse, also known for his appearance in “American Psycho”.
Vincent Lin deliberately focuses on his own theme in his restaurant: “It should look like it did in Shanghai in the 1920s. That time was very romantic. We are trying to convey that here.” Furniture like from the Golden Twenties, an illuminated mirror bar. Not a place like in Chinatown. The son of Chinese immigrants focuses on new accents and a new audience: “Aesthetics! Everything looks good here. You can take good Instagram photos. We have great cocktails at the bar.”
Firm belief in the splendor of the city
He signed the lease in February – and hesitated again in April. But today he’s safer than ever, says Lin. “Let’s take a positive view: When other restaurants close, we have less competition. And we may get better rental conditions because so much is empty.” After the isolated period, most New Yorkers longed for places like this where they were comfortable and not alone. “It’s the people that hold New York together,” says Lin. He is sure that the city can overcome anything with it.
In fact, the first four weeks weren’t that bad. The businessman knows: the time is not right now to make money – that will be later when the city comes up again. And he is convinced that it will do that: “If there is one place in the world that comes back – and twice as strong as before – then it is New York City!”
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