Tom Colicchio & Andrew Rigie: Reviving NYC’s Restaurant Business—Bringing New Yorkers Back to the Table

Tom Colicchio, celebrity chef, restaurant owner, “Citizen Chef” and food policy activist, and Andrew Rigie, Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance, in conversation with Travis Terry, President of Capalino

Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the restaurant industry in New York and across the country. Local restaurants and bars are a key component of NYC’s tourism industry, and are the heart of communities nationwide. Business leaders are trying to devise plans to revive the hospitality sector that employs over 16 million people and provides ladders of opportunity to women, people of color, single mothers, immigrants, and the formerly incarcerated.

Watch our thought-provoking discussion about what New York’s restaurant comeback looks like, including why the NY State budget’s $800 million funding for small biz, the $28.6 billion federal restaurant & bar grant program, and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund are critical to support restaurants and NYC’s recovery. Many restaurants & small businesses will be eligible for new grants and tax credits that could act as an economic lifeline for establishments still navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.

Topics covered include:

• What the NYC restaurant comeback looks like and how the pandemic has changed the way restaurants operate
• Specific ideas for growing and revitalizing the city’s tourism and restaurant industries both in Manhattan and in the outer boroughs
• Why it’s critical to balance both public health and safety concerns with the current economic and social crisis regarding restaurants
• Why small businesses like restaurants are important and what we can do to help drive their success
• How our food system intersects with social justice issues and why it’s important to work on food access, food justice and equity issues as we try to recover better

Hospitality Advisory Team

Capalino launched a new Hospitality Advisory Team to help restaurants and other businesses in the hospitality sector leverage these funding opportunities and rebound from the pandemic. This team will leverage Capalino’s ability to serve as a “one-stop shop” with services including strategy, real estate, permitting, financing, and lobbying to help restaurants and other businesses strategically plan their recovery. Capalino has a long history of partnering with the hospitality and restaurant sector to help well-known operations such as Ian Schrager Hotels, the Gramercy Park Hotel, Chatwal Hotels, the Four Seasons Restaurant, Knickerbocker Hotel, the River Café and Union Square Hospitality Group..

To learn more contact Travis Terry at travis@nullcapalino.com.