NEW YORK (PIX11) – While so many people were worried about a potential collapse of a high-rise on East 42nd Street earlier this month, owners of the restaurants around the corner had their own worries as well.
Lost revenue and spoiled food due to a frozen zone were big concerns.
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Sushi Yasuda is arguably one of the top sushi restaurants in the city, but it had the misfortune of having possibly one of the worst locations in the city for the month of July.
That’s because Sushi Yasuda and two other Japanese restaurants, a trade school, and a hotel were all part of the frozen zone after two Steel columns began to buckle at the construction site of the former Pfizer building on East 42nd Street.
With City officials worried about the potential for a high-rise collapse, the block of 43rd St. between Third and 2nd Avenues was shut down to pedestrians and vehicles for close to three weeks from July 7th to July 24th.
And that meant big losses to the small businesses on this block.
“Being locked in this frozen zone for two to three weeks may have cost us in the ballpark of $300,000,” Scott Rosenberg, co-owner of Sushi Yasuda, told PIX11 News. “On Tuesdays, we get our special fish delivery, but the fire department came and shut it down, saying get out and bring nothing,” he added.
At Yakiniku Toraji across the street, employees were placed on furlough for close to three weeks and encouraged to apply for unemployment.
“It was tough, especially on employees,” Kenny Toguchi, manager of Yakiniku Toraji, told PIX11 News. ” Everybody lost income; tough on the restaurant, too. We lost sales,” he added.
Even some of the people who live on this block say they’ve had enough.
The frozen zone was the final straw for Investment banker Alejandra Perez-Pla, who’s moving out of her super expensive rental at the Summit on East 43rd Street and heading back downtown.
“It’s more than you just have a feeling it’s time to move on,” Alejandra Perez-Pla told PIX11 News.
Still to be determined: the owners of the restaurants on East 43rd Street are weighing their options on whether they can sue the developer of the high-rise with the buckled columns for their losses.