As I observe the scene through my small business lens, it's not hard to realize that small businesses are just as important to this city as Wall Street and the New York Stock Exchange. Fortune 50 restaurants like Burger King and McDonald's are the rarity. Instead pizza bars, vegan shops, cafe's and fresh food markets dominate every street.
Everybody is getting their hustle on. As I walked down Broadway through a Japanese-Korean block fair and street vendors of all types, I managed to buy some white sage incense from a serious looking fellow named Santos. It felt good to support the commoner.
It amazes me that all of these businesses can survive amongst each other. I would expect the owners of these places to have this 'crab in a barrel' syndrome. Contrary to my preconception they all seem pretty chill. Everywhere that I've been so far the customer service has been commendable.
The Indian cuisine spot I went to last night was great. The chicken mahknee and merlot was exceptional, so was the friendly host. The Indian spot in Toledo that I go to, you're lucky if you get a smile. Today my friend and I went to Angelina's Pizza Bar. The waiter had a strong Italian accent and didn't know the menu too well, but he made up for it with his authentic smile and genuine care towards us. He said "you're welcome" every time I said "thank you," and I say it a lot. It's the little practices that help a business last.
As I chowed on my buffalo wangs (yes I said wangs) and Trecolori pizza, I chatted with the owner Stu about the super bowl capability of his New York Football Giants whom we were watching. That's all he needed to epitomize the strongly opinionated New Yorker. In other words, he held a one sided conversation with me. But when it was time to leave he looked us in the eyes and thanked us for coming in and was delighted that we enjoyed the grub. Classic managerialism.
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