MAJOR MILESTONE
Long Island City cafe celebrates one-year anniversary
Little Chef Little Café is celebrating
28 DECEMBER 2 0 2 0
FOOD
BY ANGÉLICA ACEVEDO
its one-year anniversary, a
significant milestone for any
business, especially in the midst
of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The intimate eatery, located
at 5-43 48th Ave., made some
adjustments to their operations as
a result by expanding their delivery
and takeout options, offering window
service, some outdoor seating
and a weekly meal delivery service.
Chef and owner Diana Manalang
added more comfort foods, which as
a Filipino-American, means adding
more Filipino soups, empanadas, tacos
and kinilaw (ceviche) to the healthconscious
yet flavorful menu.
Manalang said the pandemic has
impacted her business, like other
small businesses in the city, but
mostly due to relying heavily on catering
and event sales, which were
all canceled during the lockdown
earlier in the year and are still not
back to the pre-COVID volume. In
March alone, they lost 70 percent of
revenue due to all of the event cancellations
and it has since continued
to decrease.
But, Manalang notes they’ve been
lucky to remain open throughout the
lockdown.
Little Chef
Little Café
owner Diana
Manalang