New York, NY – Kosher Cafe Owner Sacks 21 Employees As Consequence Of Occupy Wall Street Demonstration

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    New York, NY – The Occupy Wall Street movement, which says its goals include improving the economic lot for 99 percent of Americans, may have some explaining to do to some cafe workers now out of a job.

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    Mark Epstein, owner of the Milk Street Cafe at 40 Wall Street, just let 21 employees go.

    The reason? The barricades police have set up throughout Wall Street as a consequence of the ongoing demonstration.

    In June, he opened the New York branch of the Boston shop, which has a 30 year history. Epstein says he leased the space on Wall Street because it was next to a pedestrian plaza – and his was the only restaurant along that plaza.

    “The opening was perfect,” Epstein told CBSNewYork.com. “The food was delicious, the customers were happy, and the line was out the door.”

    Customers kept coming back, Epstein said.

    “Everything was going in the right direction. Sales continued to grow. We started to build our catering business. Costs were going down. I felt that by October or November we would break even.”

    Then the Occupy Wall Street movement launched.

    “I came one Monday morning and I found the exit by the 2 or 3 subway station closed. I saw all these barriers – barricades – all up and down my street,” Epstein said. “At first I thought nothing of it, but after a week… it’s been six or seven weeks now.”

    Six or seven weeks of marches and occasional clashes between police and protesters. So the barricades have remained in place.

    “The end result of it is that it completely destroyed the pedestrian traffic on Wall Street. Completely destroyed it,” Epstein said. “It is a desolate, police-controlled area.”

    The cafe has a capacity of 150 seats. At the height of lunch hour Tuesday, Epstein estimated the shop was half full. With those sorts of numbers, he’s had to let people go.

    “We eliminated 21 positions in the company,” Epstein said. “First time in 30 years I’ve laid anybody off.”

    They’ve also cut back their hours at the New York location, closing now at 3 p.m. instead of 9 p.m.

    However, Epstein doesn’t lay all the blame at the feet of Occupy Wall Street.

    “I think this is an issue of both Occupy Wall Street and the city officials. There’s protest and how you react to protest,” Epstein said. “If the barriers do not come down, I do not see how we can survive. This has got to become like America again. You have to be free to walk around.”

    “Everybody should understand the consequences of their actions,” he said.

    Epstein says he’s brought his plight to the attention of city officials and police and has been met with empathy. But the barriers are still in place.

    “Everybody’s empathetic and they’ll have lots to say at my eulogy,” he said. “I don’t want to be eulogized. I want the barriers down.”


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    24 Comments
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    Member
    12 years ago

    Do you know the difference between socialism and liberalism?
    It is the same as the difference between garbage that smells good and dinner that is fresh.

    12 years ago

    blame the rich again

    shvitzer11559
    shvitzer11559
    12 years ago

    Occupy Wall Street does not care about Jobs, they do not care about equality, all they want to do is create anarcy because they are lazy and want to blame everybody but themselves for thier bottom of the food chain status, in the words of the monster anarcist Timothy McVeigh Y’S “its collateral damage” and thats the way all of these pathetic potted plants in Zuccoi Sq look at it. 21 people laid off a legit business owner suffering “its collateral damage”

    shredready
    shredready
    12 years ago

    I are at the one in Boston it was excellent

    cannot really blame the protesters he is right

    12 years ago

    Wow. These people are the lowest scum on the earth in general. Get them outta here. There’s a limit to how many lives you can disrupt with tour nonsense. It’s high time.

    shlomo1
    shlomo1
    12 years ago

    “Better a bad press the n a good eulogy”

    AuthenticSatmar
    AuthenticSatmar
    12 years ago

    Just looking for someone to blame for a bad business decision. Business was never good.

    12 years ago

    Thanks to Jewish filled groups like the geriatric left wing Raging Grannies, hard working people are LOSING their jobs.

    georgewashingtonbridge
    georgewashingtonbridge
    12 years ago

    I haven’t made it to the Milk Street Cafe downtown yet, but I greatly enjoyed the food in Boston. Mark Epstein is indeed a mensch.

    #3: I fully agree.

    #4: There is no way to hold individuals in that mob responsible, but the mob as a whole has caused massive damage to the city, from disrupting people’s workday (personal experience — the noise reaches upstairs) to interfering with the traffic flow. And the extra police support costs money. Who’s paying?

    I understand there’s a covenant on the park requiring it to be open 24/7, but there is surely some way to prevent the live-in situation that currently exists. Giuliani would have had them out by now. Bloomberg should chat him for advice.

    BoruchN
    BoruchN
    12 years ago

    Sorry situation…sad…I hope things, BE”H, improve a lot.

    PMOinFL
    PMOinFL
    12 years ago

    The occupy Wall Street folks have the support of every genuine Conservative (not Republican, or the new ‘Fox News’/talk radio style phony conservative) and Libertarian in America.

    Facts are facts. When Wall Street collapsed, the middle class investors lost nearly EVERYTHING, while bank and fund managers that we trusted with our money didn’t lose one stinking red cent. When they fail, they still win and we lose. If you can’t see that, you’re too dumb to be in the conversation. When they lost all of our money, they went to the White House and demanded TARP, which was passed in near record time! The game is fixed.

    This is not a war on the rich. I’m pretty well to do myself. Everyone wants to be rich and should be able to achieve wealth through intelligence, hard work and imagination. MOST people, including Buckley Conservatives like myself can agree on that. However, when the decision makers (banks, fund managers, traders) assume NONE of the risk, but pass it on to the rest of us through paid-for laws, that is NOT Capitalism. When the government provides a 100% safety net for the banks and NOTHING for you, that is practically COMMUNISM.

    Free market? Not here!

    meshigener
    meshigener
    12 years ago

    Guys, wake up and smell the coffee

    All those bail outs were done by Congress and not Wall St. Just wait and you will see that these protests are part of the Dems trying to get Obama to win next year.

    I work next to Zucatti park and the noise level and the intimidation by these low life’s are unbelievable. Imagine I stand next to your house or work place and drum and make noise all day and night, is this called freedom of speech? Democrats and the people around here that were supporting them have now turned their backs on these protesters and we are demanding from the City to start enforcing the law.

    Does anyone know what they are protesting about? I hear and read their slogans, we want you to pay for our expenses. Remember Obama words “distribution of wealth”. Remember that interview why this lady is voting for Obama (2008) he will pay for my bills, mortgage, and food. Are we in Russia, China, Cuba?

    This is how the Nazis came to power.