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Last winter River Cafe owner Michael “Buzzy” O’Keeffe sent out a letter to the media predicting that the under-construction Brooklyn Bridge Park would be a nightmare for his riverside establishment. O'Keefe feared his little park beside the River Cafe would be damaged because plans for Brooklyn Bridge Park call for a pathway through his grounds, connecting the state- and city-owned portions of the park. According to the Brooklyn Paper, O'Keefe maintains the park as part of his $1,667 per month lease with the city, and he worries—whaaa? $1, 667 a month!? That's less than what most New Yorkers pay for their shabby apartments, and the majority of us can't sell $125 six-course tasting menus to cover our rent. Brooklyn Paper has more on O'Keeffe's park panic, which he says was sparked because "when you’re dealing with municipalities, sometimes they’re unreasonable." Yeah... after reading about his sweetheart long-term lease, we've no choice but to start calling this place the Cry Me a River Cafe.
River Cafe's Rent Is Less Than Your One Bedroom Apartment
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yikes.
don't restaurant leases go for like $10k in this city?
Before the market tanked, $10K wouldn't get you much more than a small deli/newsstand in better 'hoods. Not sure about now.
When O'Keeffe built the restaurant in the mid 70's the area was a wasteland. The city never thought it would be a success, so they gave him a sweetheart lease. They learned from their mistake, the rent for O'Keeffe's waterside restaurant on the east side of Manhattan, which was built a few years later, is a lot higher.
Hey, calm down! Buzzy O'Keeffe was there (and worked out his deal) before anyone knew where & what DUMBO was... and most of them thought twice about going there! He put up his money, his time, his reputation to build the River Cafe (and launch the s of Charlie Palmer and Larry Forgione)... so I wouldn't mind a bit if the city recognized his contributions and lowered his rent ti $1 per year.
Such daring restaurateurs should be commended! Heaven knows you can't build a thriving community without such a luxury outpost. I mean, if only they'd opened a Momofuku outpost in Bed-Sty then maybe the neighborhood would be a shining beacon of economic and social progress!
Only if they did 24 hr carryout.