Applebee’s
buzzes off
Chain joins growing list of
shuttered Coney businesses
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Michael Georgoulalcos, the
manager of Paul’s Daughter,
a concessions stand on the
Riegelmann Boardwalk. “The
boardwalk is the place to be
for business here. If you’re on
Surf Avenue, it’s a lot harder.
All the tourists come here to
the boardwalk.”
Mermaid Avenue — a popular
strip among residents —
has seen the largest drop in
commerce, with 54 percent
of stores closing between
2011 and 2016, according to
the City Planning study. The
thoroughfare, which sits two
blocks away from the amusement
district, may suffer because
of its relative distance
from the neighborhood’s
tourist center. But according
to locals, an increase in
neighborhood stores, rather
than in tourist destinations,
could be the key to economic
renewal.
“There’s a misperception
of what people desire,”
Silversmith said, citing the
area’s large population and
the many transit workers
who stop for lunch. “People
see it as a tourist district
and don’t think about the
everyday person.”
Councilman Mark Treyger
(D–Coney Island)
agreed, arguing that the
area needed more clothing
stores, healthy food options,
and full-service banks, but
added that a 2009 rezoning of
the neighborhood — which
required developers to subsidize
affordable housing, new
infrastructure, and transit
investments — did not yield
the promised benefits.
“It should not be lost on
anyone that this is occurring
about ten years after
the 2009 rezoning,” he said.
“There was not a structure
to put in place to monitor the
points of that agreement.”
To jump start the local
economy, Treyger’s office
and the Alliance for Coney
Island are working to promote
year-long programming,
decorate the street
with historic light fixtures
and benches, and assemble
an organization to fight for
local businesses.
“Coney Island is in the
process of forming a BID,”
Treyger said, claiming that
the neighborhood’s business
owners banned together after
seeing the DCP’s study.
— Additional reporting by
Elissa Esher
BY ROSE ADAMS
Coney Island’s Applebee’s
Bar and Grill closed its
doors on Monday, transforming
the once bustling
Surf Avenue chain restaurant
into one of the many
storefronts that sit vacant
throughout the People’s
Playground.
“It’s definitely unfortunate
to say the least,” said
Alexandra Silversmith, the
executive director of the Alliance
for Coney Island, a
nonprofit business booster.
“From what I can tell, they
were very busy.”
The Applebee’s franchise
opened its doors in 2013, and
quickly became a mainstay
among locals, many of whom
were shocked when the restaurant
suddenly shuttered
on Sept. 9.
But the chain eatery isn’t
the only Coney business to
fold in recent memory, as
the People’s Playground has
seen a wave of businesses
shut down or move away,
leaving a trail of empty
storefronts in their wake.
A report released by the Department
of City Planning
in August revealed that the
People’s Playground has
double the average vacancy
rate among neighborhoods
in New York City, and according
to local business
owners, the neighborhood’s
seasonal economy and high
rents are to blame.
“In the off-season, everything
dies down here,” said
SHUT DOWN: Coney Island’s Applebee’s franchise lost its lease, forcing
the restaurant to close on Monday after six years of service.
Photo by Elli Esher
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