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Chelsea Loses a Deli, But Gains a Doughnut Plant
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 5, 2010
Modified Jan 5, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 5, 2010
Modified Jan 5, 2010
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After 30 years in business, Frank's Deli on Ninth Avenue near 20th Street is closing, and the locals are bereft. "People have been coming in in tears," local Nick Fritsch tells Chelsea Now. Coffee still costs 25 cents, and you can get a sandwich for under four bucks. The building's new owner has informed the deli's eponymous 80-year-old operator, Francisco Lobelle, a.k.a. Frank, that his lease would not be renewed. "It’s just devastating for the neighborhood," says Barney Karpfinger, a local literary agent. "One of the things that makes New York great are these small, personal places. Frank’s was gathering place for everybody in the neighborhood—people from projects, rich people who own fancy apartments, people from the seminary and everybody in between. He is just a decent, unfailingly polite, kind and funny guy."
But at least it's not all tears and heartache in Chelsea; a ray of good news is also shining on the neighborhood today. Confirming a rumor first floated by Vanishing New York, it's been confirmed that the wildly popular LES Doughnut Plant will be opening up a second location in the space being vacated by Dan's Chelsea Guitars, on the street level of the Chelsea Hotel. (The guitar shop is relocating down the block.) Plant owner Mark Isreal tells Time Out it will be "more of a doughnut lounge," with tables and chairs (unlike the Grand Street location) and a full-service espresso bar. Expect that to open in the Spring, and if you live in the Chelsea Hotel, expect room service.
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Chelsea
closing
doughnut plant
frank's deli
hotel
nyc
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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