Owner Shaan \u201cSunny\u201d Singh said lengthy street construction along Herndon Avenue just west of North Riverside Drive in northwest Fresno caused two frequently used entryways into the 76 gas station to be closed off.<\/p>\n
He added that Uber Eats and Door Dash removed his restaurant as an online option because of the difficulty for drivers to get to it (one of three entryways to the gas station remained open during road construction).<\/p>\n
And with little to no foot traffic into the gas station, Big Apple Platters NYC didn\u2019t attract customers for nearly two weeks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt hurts,\u201d Singh said. \u201cWe were doing really well. Unfortunately, we had some very heavy construction around here. It cost me almost two weeks without a single sale \u2014 without a single dollar coming in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ended up throwing out a lot of inventory during those two weeks. With no new inventory to make food to sell, and funds dried up, and the banks aren\u2019t issuing loans, unfortunately, I will be joining the majority of people forced to shut down their restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n
Singh, 28, said he\u2019d exhausted all other options, including asking family and friends for money to help him stay afloat, before making the decision to permanently close. He said he had just bought out his mother and cousin to become sole owner of Big Apple Platters NYC a couple of months back.<\/p>\n
Big Apple Platters NYC opened in January.<\/p>\n
Closure, curiosity<\/p>\n
Construction signs still were on display on Herndon Avenue near the 76 gas station\/Zippy Mart that housed Big Apple Platters NYC. But the entryways to the gas station now were open.<\/p>\n
Inside, a large television screen hung up high that typically would display the Big Apple Platters NYC menu had been turned off. Tables and chairs had been stacked on top of each other and pushed up along a window.<\/p>\n
A different sign suction-cupped on a glass window, which allowed customers to watch their food being made, stated the place was closed.<\/p>\n
But once Singh turned on the television screen to showcase the Big Apple Platters NYC menu, it didn\u2019t take long for folks who had gone inside the gas station to walk toward Singh\u2019s food kiosk area and check out the menu.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I\u2019m sorry Miss, I\u2019m closed,\u201d Singh told a woman who was examining the menu.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh really,\u201d the potential patron said. \u201cMenu looks interesting.\u201d<\/p>\n
Signh\u2019s idea behind opening Big Apple Platters NYC was to bring a bit of the East Coast to the West Coast.<\/p>\n
He served halal street food, such as lamb gyros, falafel over rice and masala fries \u2014 things Singh said he often ate while growing up in Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought: Let\u2019s bring something new and fresh to Fresno,\u201d Singh said. \u201cHow you guys all have taco trucks here, we have halal carts at every corner in New York.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Shaan](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/35c561dbacef0ad4263ec28988bb3e4a.jpeg\"\/)
<\/p>\n
Shaan \u201cSunny\u201d Singh, a native New Yorker who opened up a halal New York City street-cart like restaurant, showcases a double patty smashburger and a mango lassi offered at his place Big Apple Platters NYC. However, Singh\u2019s restaurant, which was located inside a 76 gas station in northwest Fresno, closed due to financial struggles. Singh said road construction along Herndon Avenue prevented him from making sales for almost two weeks.<\/p>\n
(Bryant-Jon Anteola\/The Fresno Bee)New York style<\/p>\n
The food wasn\u2019t the only element that exuded East Coast vibes.<\/p>\n
Singh speaks with a heavy New York accent, and he brings that unbashful confidence often associated with New Yorkers.<\/p>\n
He has legitimate reason to be proud of his food.<\/p>\n