Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
UWS "Sweatshop" Saigon Grill Shuttered, Workers Celebrate
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Mar 9, 2013
Modified Mar 9, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Rebecca Fishbein
Published Mar 9, 2013
Modified Mar 9, 2013
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Upper West Side restaurant Saigon Grill has been plagued by legal and workers rights issues for years, and the restaurant finally shuttered its 90th and Amsterdam space last month. But yesterday, former employees and customers held a rally outside the space to celebrate the restaurant's demise, and according to the Times, it struck a strange note with locals.
Since 2007, Saigon Grill's waiters and deliverymen, many of whom were Chinese immigrants complained of abysmal working conditions spearheaded by former owners Simon and Michelle Nget that included low wages, harassment and unsafe conditions. Workers regularly went on strike and proposed boycotts; locals who ate at the restaurant started becoming unsettled by the frequent pickets and rallies outside. "It turned me off," Lori Countey, who lives in the neighborhood, told the Times. "I felt wrong about going in there."
Yesterday's pointed send-off, which included picketers chanting, "When sweatshops close, workers win!" and signs calling for celebration, still made a few Upper West Siders uneasy. "I’m a liberal, but I found this offensive," neighbor Judy Bardack, who had never been to the restaurant. told the Times. "This was not the worst abuse in the world, and they managed to hound them out of business. I mean, the balloons!" But for the former employees, a number of whom will be on the receiving end of a $3 million settlement, the closure is a major win. As UWS Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal told the Times, "Good riddance."
Tagged
labor
saigon grill
Upper West Side
vietnamese food
Rebecca Fishbein
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .