Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Moldy food and sometimes not enough of it. Cuisine at NYC shelters under the spotlight.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Feb 25, 2025
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 .
PhotoIris2021/Getty Images
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Feb 25, 2025
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
Moldy meals, insufficient food and no requested halal accommodations.
Those were some of the complaints that members of the New York City Council surfaced Tuesday in an oversight hearing on the food served up at city shelters.
Councilmember Julie Won, who chairs the contracts committee, said her office received numerous complaints about "inedible" shelter food and about halal food accommodations not being made for residents — and problematic vendors continue to receive city contractors.
Alison Wilkey, director of government affairs and strategic campaigns for the Coalition for the Homeless, testified that she also received complaints about poor quality food at shelters and lack of reasonable accommodations for religious and medically necessary meals.
“It’s clear that these food vendors who have a monopoly over these subcontracts for millions of dollars … they have continued to have food complaints, and they continue to get multiyear contracts for millions of dollars,” Won said.
The hearing showcased serial complaints about the food served to the neediest New Yorkers: the tens of thousands of people being housed in more than 400 Department of Homeless Services shelters across the city.
Won singled out the continuation and expansion of the city’s contract with Riviera Hospitality Group, one of the companies contracted to provide food to city shelters, despite complaints of its “terrible food.” The company has a $43.5 million contract with the Department of Homeless Services, according to Won’s office.
Won said other repeated “bad actors” with complaints include Regina Caterers, which has hundreds of thousands of dollars in current city contracts, and Whitsons Food Service, which has a $93 million in contracts with DHS, according to Won’s office.
Representatives of Riviera Hospitality Group, Regina Caterers and Whitsons Food Service did not respond to calls and emails for comment. Together, the companies have received over $240 million in city contracts, according to Won’s office.
Kate MacKenzie, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Food Policy, encouraged Won to formally file complaints for issues observed at various shelters. Some residents, she said, may just not like the food being served to them, while others could have serious food quality concerns.
Won also complained that some food vendors were paid vastly different amounts for the same food provided at different shelter sites. One company, Regina Caterers, has separate per diem rates of $8, $12 and $15 at three shelters in her Council district, Won said.
Jill Berry, first deputy commissioner at the NYC Department of Social Services, said food prices can vastly differ between sites because each shelter enters into separate food services contracts at different times.
In response, Won said the city has “done nothing” to standardize the costs of shelter meals since a hearing on the issue in December 2023. Won said in an interview that the Department of Homeless Services only has one full- and one part-time employee to monitor menus at its over 400 shelters.
“It was pathetic,” Won said in an interview. “It’s been more than a year now, and you still have no accountability process. And it’s not streamlined. It’s not uniform… You should be ashamed of yourself.”
Won has introduced a bill requiring food vendors contracted by the city to conduct quarterly feedback surveys of consumers, including shelter residents. The Council has not yet voted on the measure.
Correction: Due to incorrect information provided to Gothamist by City Councilmember Julie Won, an earlier version of this story misstated the value of the Whitsons Food Service contracts with the city. The contracts are worth $93 million.
Tagged
food
new york city
housing
Race And Justice Unit
Arya Sundaram
Arya is a reporter covering race and justice. Got a tip? Email: [email protected] or reach Arya on Signal at 512-650-8767.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Hochul names NY AG James as special prosecutor on alleged rape case at Cornell University
The governor said she does not have faith that the police and the Tompkins County DA effectively investigated the case.
By
Jon Campbell
Published Oct 1, 2026 at 9:04 p.m. ET
Founder of NYC LGBTQ therapy practice charged with rape after alleged sexual assaults
Joseph LoGiudice is the second therapist at Liberation Psychotherapy to be accused of sexually abusing a patient.
By
Giulia Heyward
News
Founder of NYC LGBTQ therapy practice charged with rape after alleged sexual assaults
Joseph LoGiudice is the second therapist at Liberation Psychotherapy to be accused of sexually abusing a patient.
By
Giulia Heyward
US judge in NY indefinitely blocks ICE from making arrests at immigration courthouses
By
Arya Sundaram
Lawyer challenging NYC rent freeze releases Mamdani officials’ emails and text messages
By
David Brand
Push to strengthen NY sexual assault laws gathers steam after Cornell rape allegations
By
Walter Wuthmann
and
Jon Campbell
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 .