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Sugar Cafe is managing to stay sweet during the economic downturn that is leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of most New Yorkers.
Standing on the intersection of 1st Avenue and Houston Street, Sugar Cafe, known to many as Sugar, is noticeable for its facade of glass paned windows that light up the street and reflect the larger than life people and everyday artwork of The East Village.
Sugar became a staple in the neighborhood when Joe Dvir, the proprietor of the popular fashion district spot The Bagel Maven, established the cafe after deciding that the location was a “great spot for a 24/7 cafe,” according to Sugar’s website.
Mostly appealing to young adults in the neighborhood who head to the cafe after a night out at the numerous bars in the area for a gourment hamburger or slice of cheesecake, it was a concern to the cafe’s workers that once the economic recession hit, their regular customers would stop coming.
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A waitress at the cafe who asked not to be named maintained that “It is mostly teenagers and 20-somethings who give us a lot of business. The place was considered one of the hot spots when it opened so we attracted a lot of hipsters. But hipsters don’t always have that much cash to buy cupcakes and lattes.”
Somehow, though, the cafe has kept customers and has even managed to expand their customer base. A cashier who also asked not to be named said that she’s noticed the cafe has been getting “older customers” since the economic downturn has been in full-swing.
She attributes this to the fact that “Older people have steady jobs and can afford to come in and spend the nine bucks on a sandwich or four on a cupcake. Since the economy is not good everyone needs some sugar now and again, and what’s better than a nice big slice of chocolate cake? And they can pretty much afford the luxury.”
It seems that the popularity of the spot and its quality of food seem to keep customers satisfied — Lauren Lee, a student at Hunter College who lives in the neighborhood comes to the cafe at least three times a week “Usually for a cup of coffee and muffin in the mornings or for those times when I’ve been partying and need an early morning burger. My friends and I love the food and the atmosphere is awesome. A lot of cool people come here and chill.”
Another patron, Seth Lynch also praised the cafe but did express concern over the price of eating out during stressful economic times saying, “I love to come here to work on my laptop and look out the big windows and watch the people go by. But, I find myself coming here less often since I make coffee at home in the mornings or cook at home instead of coming out to eat. Sugar is laid back and the food is good but this is a recession and I think twice now before spending unecessary money.”
While there are surely many customers who feel the same way Lynch does, it does not seem to be slowing Sugar down. The success of Sugar Cafe is that it offers good food and great atmosphere to the East Village 24/7, allowing its residents to savor something sweet in the City that never sleeps, even during a recession.
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I think that there should be more cafes such as Sugar in the city, a nice cafe that is open 24/7 with burgers, fries, sandwiches and breakfast food. It does not surprise me that a lot of “teenagers and 20-somethings” go there since they are the ones that are out and about at all hours of the night. It is refreshing to see Sugar open 24/7 because the fast food chains that are open 24/7 are getting sickening and seeing the number one cafe-type chain, Starbucks, on every corner is not as exciting as when there were hardly any around. Plus Starbucks is so limited as to what you can order. There are only so many frappuccinos and Rice Krispy’s Treats someone can have. It seems that the Sugar cafe offers a great variety and although I have never been to Sugar, reading Kerri’s post makes me want to go and try their cheesecake or burger!