{"id":364421,"date":"2021-11-09T03:43:27","date_gmt":"2021-11-09T00:43:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/gotham-bar-grill-reopens-as-the-gotham-with-a-staffing-challenge\/"},"modified":"2021-11-09T03:43:27","modified_gmt":"2021-11-09T00:43:27","slug":"gotham-bar-grill-reopens-as-the-gotham-with-a-staffing-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/gotham-bar-grill-reopens-as-the-gotham-with-a-staffing-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"#Gotham Bar &#038; Grill reopens as the Gotham \u2013 with a staffing challenge"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;<strong>#Gotham Bar &amp; Grill reopens as the Gotham \u2013 with a staffing challenge<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<div class=\"inline-module inline-module--columnist inline-module--author\">\n<div class=\"inline-module--author__img\">\n            <img decoding=\"async\" width=\"76\" height=\"69\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=76&amp;h=69&amp;crop=1\" class=\"attachment-nyp_columnist size-nyp_columnist\" alt=\"Jennifer Gould\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=152 152w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=114 114w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=76 76w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png?w=38 38w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2013\/08\/author-jennifer-gould.png 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 76px) 100vw, 76px\"\/>     <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Diners at newly reopened Gotham will enjoy a little more elbow room than they did at its predecessor, Gotham Bar &amp; Grill \u2014 and it\u2019s not just because of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> distancing.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>It turns out, even at one of the doyennes of the downtown dining scene, it\u2019s hard to find first-class help after COVID shutdowns sent streams of wait staff back to their hometowns and immigrant workers left the industry for more steady work: So the new owners of Gotham on Tuesday will reopen the space at 12 E. 12th St. with a limited staff and limited seating.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The restaurant comes with a new chef, a new menu and a new look after six weeks of renovations \u2014 with strong ties to its past. The new chef is the former pastry chef. The new menu references the old and the new look streamlines the old. But it has only 47 staffers, new owner Bret Csencsitz, the restaurant\u2019s former <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> manager, tells Side Dish. He\u2019d prefer to be operating with 100, but it\u2019s hard to find employees, he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-dining-room.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20077159\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-dining-room.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-dining-room.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-dining-room.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Diners who remember the original Gotham Bar &amp; Grill will see many of its original features \u2014 plus a streamlined menu.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stephen Yang<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Snarled supply chains making headlines around the world also are affecting the Greenwich Village eatery, which before its March 2020 shutdown had been a neighborhood mainstay for 37 years.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t get plates. I don\u2019t know why. We\u2019ve been told they\u2019re on a ship. It h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ened three times with different brands,\u201d Csencsitz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Other basics \u2014 like toilets \u2014 were also near-impossible to get: \u201cThere were constant delivery delays, so we found another solution. Then we got all of these deliveries of toilets at once.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ordering trout was also inexplicably fishy.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-front.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20077163\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-front.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-front.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-front.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Inside Gotham, former pastry chef Ron Paprocki is now running the entire kitchen.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stephen Yang<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cChef wanted a specific farm in the Catskills for trout. He\u2019s a fisherman, and we sourced it. The farm agreed, and then too many people wanted trout, and so they couldn\u2019t do it,\u201d Csencistz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>That chef is Ron Paprocki, now the restaurant\u2019s executive chef. He\u2019s not the only nod to the old Gotham, where Paprocki was once pastry chef.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Tuna tartare and steak are still on the menu \u2014 but so is a celeriac dish with Brussels sprouts, portobello mushrooms and shaved black truffle. And the dishes are a little smaller, more in line with how people eat today \u2014 with less butter, cream and sugar and more plant-based options. There\u2019s also a sourcing director who works with local farms.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are staying true to Gotham,\u201d Csencistz said of the original iteration of the restaurant, which had garnered a Michelin star since its 1984 opening. \u201cThere\u2019s nothing too avant garde or out of left field. We are using familiar products, but sourcing more meticulously,\u201d Csencsitz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-wall.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20077164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-wall.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-wall.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-wall.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Original architect James Biber worked on the redesign.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stephen Yang<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gotham had been on shaky ground since its founding star chef, Alfred Portale, left in 2019 to open Portale in Chelsea. A new chef, Victoria Blamey, came aboard, with a new spin on the menu. But the famed eatery would soon shut down for good during lockdown. Still, Csencsitz wasn\u2019t ready to quit.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we announced the closing, I knew immediately that I wanted to bring it back,\u201d said Csencsitz, who was at the restaurant late Saturday evening even though he was running the New York City marathon Sunday morning.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe had a highly recognizable, well-loved place, with a large clientele and an international reputation. It seemed like a good opportunity and I wanted to put my stamp on something that I wasn\u2019t the owner of before.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As for the lack of staff, Csencsitz said the restaurant will just have to power through. Other restaurants have reported trouble finding good workers with a super-tight labor market leading to escalating salaries \u2014 and the aftereffects of pandemic stimulus money and a bump to unemployment benefits still having the effect of keeping some people from work.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-owner-outdoors.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20077165\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-owner-outdoors.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-owner-outdoors.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-owner-outdoors.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Csencsitz praises landlord Stephen Green for making rent a more manageable bite.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stephen Yang<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cWe are completely understaffed. It\u2019s a whole new challenge,\u201d Csencsitz said. \u201cWe need to achieve a certain level of business to break even or make a profit, and we just don\u2019t have enough employees to do the volume we need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One bright spot: New Yorkers who know and love the restaurant, like landlord Stephen Green, of SL Realty, one of the biggest landlords in the city.<\/p>\n<p>For now, the eatery, like many, is on a limited run, Tuesdays through Saturdays for dinner only. And they will only \u201cfeel comfortable\u201d taking reservations for 100 to 120 seats, even though capacity is for 165.\u00a0Eventually, they\u2019ll hope to open for lunch.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe have been the only tenant for 37 years,\u201d Csencsitz said of the restaurant. \u201cStephen is incredibly fair and saw the value in having us here. He offered us very favorable terms tied to revenue. If we don\u2019t have any revenue, we don\u2019t have any rent,\u201d Csencsitz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Some of the loyal New York regulars at the restaurant even became investors.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-front-door.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1024\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-20077181\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-front-door.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-front-door.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-front-door.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The new iteration of the famed restaurant will feature more light edibles.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Stephen Yang<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cMany of the investors were friends or people I had done business with over the years. My main investor, environmentalist Kevin Conrad, is someone who became a friend and offered to back me. He recognized there was value in the restaurant. Others were customers,\u201d Csencsitz said.<\/p>\n<p>In one case, a customer left a comment on an article about Gotham\u2019s closing. Csencsitz contacted him, and he, too, became an investor.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI looked up his name in our reservations, and sent him an email,\u201d Csencistz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>One of the original architects, James Biber, also returned \u2014 older and more experienced, with his own firm \u2014 and a mission to spruce up the \u201cindiscretions\u201d of his youth. That meant streamlining some of the design, and rounding the sharp corners of the bar. At 40 feet long, with five people on each end, the bar can accommodate 200 Manhattans, according to Gotham\u2019s spokeswoman.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Csencsitz is also working on \u201cevolving\u201d the restaurant business model \u2014 with health insurance, 401K offerings, and a profit-sharing model for the employees.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe are talking about it with our employees, though it\u2019s not on the books yet. I\u2019m big on creating a different culture in the restaurant,\u201d Csencsitz said.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2021\/11\/08\/gotham-bar-grill-reopens-as-the-gotham-with-a-staffing-challenge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#Gotham Bar &amp; Grill reopens as the Gotham \u2013 with a staffing challenge&#8221; Diners at newly reopened Gotham will enjoy a little more elbow room than they did at its predecessor, Gotham Bar &amp; Grill \u2014 and it\u2019s not just because of social distancing.\u00a0 It turns out, even at one of the doyennes of the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":364422,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2021\/11\/sized-gotham-owner-bar.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[118618,72095,112026,98670,22512,71970],"class_list":["post-364421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-11-8-21","tag-dining","tag-jennifer-gould-keil","tag-nyc-reopens","tag-restaurants","tag-side-dish"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364421","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=364421"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/364421\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/364422"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=364421"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=364421"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=364421"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}