BRONX, N.Y., March 23, 2023—A newly opened CulinArt-run café in a multi-tenant building in New York City is averaging 600 customers per day, following an opening weekend in which the seven staff members passed a “crash course” in various opening procedures with flying colors.
The Metro Café is located in an office building, on the Hutchinson Metro Center campus in the Bronx, which is home to a college, medical providers, and other businesses. Population fluctuates from 500 to 1,500 people a day, yet the café has had little trouble attracting customers to its offerings at a hot-and-cold entrée bar, deli, grill, pizza station, and Starbucks coffee bar.
Over the second weekend in March, the team cleaned, set, stocked, stored, and prepped the kitchen and servery, and learned a new point-of-sale system (Nextep) along the way. “We started on Friday at 3 p.m. and opened on Monday at 7 a.m.,” says District Manager Steve Borenkoff. “It was a crash course for everyone.”
Food is prepared at and being temporarily delivered from CulinArt’s commissary in Queens while a kitchen supporting another café on the property is being readied for full operation, with an opening slated for fall. “We started from scratch,” Borenkoff adds, “It was a full team effort from our corporate support to the client.”
CulinArt veteran Andres Marsh handled the opening as food service director, with opening support from Float Chefs Jim Erdman (Stryker) and Bill Putsky (Montclair-Kimberley Academy). Keith Sherman takes the reign this week as chef manager.
Shown in photo
(left to right) Jim Erdman, chef; Andres Marsh, FSD; Juan Lopez, pizza; Jennifer Rivera, lead cashier; Kezia Maynard-Samuels, barista; Robert Starks, FSW; Francisco Lucero, grill cook; Thomas Novellino, deli
