Trio of Bronx restaurants feed
the front line during COVID-19
BY JASON COHEN
Retail jobs make up 19
percent of the workforce
in the Bronx and many
of those places are shuttered
due to coronavirus.
But three restaurants
owned by a group
of Bronxites, including
former NFL player Willie
Colòn have stayed open
during the COVID-19 crisis
and have been feeding
fi rst responders. Along
with Colon, Alfredo
Angueria and Junior
Martinez, operate Bricks
and Hops at 65 Bruckner
Blvd., the south Bronx’s
only beer garden, The
Bronx Drafthouse next
to Yankee Stadium and
neighboring hip hopthemed
restaurant, Beatstro
on Alexander Avenue.
“I was born and raised
in the Bronx,” Angueria
said. “I remember
my grandfather waiting
online for government
cheese and butter in the
south Bronx. Knowing
that we are able to give
back is a blessing.”
Angueria, a former
attorney, told the Bronx
Times that while the
three places are barely
breaking even by doing
takeout and delivery, he
knew when the pandemic
started they had to aid
the front line.
He noted that his restaurants
and others in
the Bronx that are open
are sacrifi cing their
own health to feed the
community and fi rst responders.
“We didn’t know how
long this was going to
last,” Angueria said. “We
wanted to help as much
as we could.”
They started off providing
food to emergency
personnel and then expanded
to Lincoln and
Jacobi Hospitals.
“We would feed the entire
Bronx if we could,”
he stated.
But all of this was
coming out of their pockets.
They quickly partnered
up with nonprofi ts
World Central Kitchen
and Here to Here who
have been buying food
from them.
The three restaurants
have given away more
than 12,000 meals a day
and in total, more than
300,000 through World
Central Kitchen.
“It’s really the assistance
that we get for
supplying fi rst responders
that has allowed us
to stay afl oat,” he explained.
While he has only had
the restaurants for four
years, he feels when the
pandemic ends, many
people will be left in debt,
jobless and hurting. He
expressed that the federal
government really
needs to help people.
According to Angueria,
it will take months
before people recover if
they do at all.
“We understand that
times are tough right
now as a business, but
times are tough for the
average person in the
street,” he said. “This
is something no one has
ever seen before. There’s
going to be a lot of people
struggling to make ends
meet.”
Angueria said there’s
a common misconception
that restaurants make
money hand over fi st.
With increased minimum
wage, taxes, bills, vendors
and now only takeout and
delivery, vacancies will
be all over, he stressed.
“This is going to be a
very different landscape,”
he remarked. “It’s going to
be a very diffi cult picture
for us as a business.”
THANKS TO THE
H e a l t h c a r e h e r o e s
F i r s t r e s p o n d e r s
Po s t a l w o r k e r s
D e l i v e r y p e o p l e
Bank branches
G r o c e r y w o r k e r s
Remote workers
And so man y o t h e r s a t s u c h g r e a t r i s k .
And a special thanks to our customers and associates.
We look forward to “seeing” you again soon!
BRONX TIMES R 8 EPORTER, APRIL 24-30, 2020 BTR
Photo courtesy of Alfredo Angueria
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