Marco Shalma

Editor-in-Chief, We Eat Here. Food culture from the operator's view. 20-year NYC hospitality veteran.

State Of The Street

THE CITY IS OPENING A GROCERY STORE IN EAST HARLEM. THE GROCERS ALREADY THERE FOUND OUT FROM THE NEWS.

Apr 17, 2026

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3 min read

THE CITY IS OPENING A GROCERY STORE IN EAST HARLEM. THE GROCERS ALREADY THERE FOUND OUT FROM THE NEWS.

Mayor Mamdani committed $30 million to build NYC's first publicly owned market next to La Marqueta. The independent operators already feeding that block were not consulted. Victor Vazquez, 33, who manages one of those stores, found out the same day everyone else did.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

THE CITY ASSIGNED YOUR WASTE HAULER. HARLEM HAS 3 WEEKS TO PUSH BACK.

Apr 16, 2026

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5 min read

THE CITY ASSIGNED YOUR WASTE HAULER. HARLEM HAS 3 WEEKS TO PUSH BACK.

Brooklyn North and Upper Manhattan are next in NYC's Commercial Waste Zone rollout. The comment window closes May 8. Most operators have no idea this is coming.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

THE DIRTY SECRET OF NYC FOOD MARKETS: SMALL VENDORS BECAME THE CONTENT

Apr 16, 2026

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7 min read

THE DIRTY SECRET OF NYC FOOD MARKETS: SMALL VENDORS BECAME THE CONTENT

Food markets promised opportunity for entrepreneurs. The structure quietly shifted toward spectacle, novelty, and entertainment-driven economics.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

IF YOU CAN’T COOK, YOU DON’T ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO EAT

Apr 14, 2026

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8 min read

IF YOU CAN’T COOK, YOU DON’T ACTUALLY KNOW HOW TO EAT

In New York, taste has been outsourced to apps, hype, and vibes. When people stop cooking, standards collapse and bad food survives at premium prices.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

BEFORE I DATE YOU, I NEED YOUR EATING RECORD

Apr 12, 2026

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4 min read

BEFORE I DATE YOU, I NEED YOUR EATING RECORD

There are many things people can fake on a date.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

THERE'S NO MORE CHEESE IN THE MEATBALL BUSINESS

Apr 8, 2026

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8 min read

THERE'S NO MORE CHEESE IN THE MEATBALL BUSINESS

The Meatball Shop closed April 4, 2026. Hell's Kitchen. 798 9th Avenue. Last one standing.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

WASHINGTON IS PLAYING GAMES WITH THE LIGHTS, AND YOUR RESTAURANT IS GOING TO PAY FOR IT

Apr 8, 2026

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9 min read

WASHINGTON IS PLAYING GAMES WITH THE LIGHTS, AND YOUR RESTAURANT IS GOING TO PAY FOR IT

Two offshore wind projects sit half-built off the coast of Long Island. A million homes — and every kitchen running on the Brooklyn grid — hang in the balance. Here's what's really going on.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

IF YOUR RESTAURANT NEEDS POLITICS TO FILL SEATS, YOUR FOOD IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Apr 8, 2026

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6 min read

IF YOUR RESTAURANT NEEDS POLITICS TO FILL SEATS, YOUR FOOD IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH

In New York’s brutal restaurant economy, some operators lean on ideology and aligned audiences to inflate ratings and loyalty, masking average cooking, weak systems, and insulated feedback loops.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

NEW YORK RESTAURANTS ARE BECOMING PRIVATE EVENT SPACES BECAUSE DINING ALONE DOES NOT PAY THE RENT

Apr 7, 2026

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6 min read

NEW YORK RESTAURANTS ARE BECOMING PRIVATE EVENT SPACES BECAUSE DINING ALONE DOES NOT PAY THE RENT

Private buyouts, prepaid tasting menus, brand activations, and closed-door previews are no longer side plays. In many neighborhoods, they are the only thing stabilizing the business.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

CITY HALL KEEPS ADDING OFFICES WHILE MAIN STREET KEEPS LOSING BUSINESSES

Apr 5, 2026

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5 min read

CITY HALL KEEPS ADDING OFFICES WHILE MAIN STREET KEEPS LOSING BUSINESSES

New York keeps telling us the same story.The city is facing multibillion-dollar budget gaps. The budget is tight. Difficult choices are ahead.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

FOOD FESTIVAL FAME NO LONGER BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE WHO COOK

Apr 1, 2026

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6 min read

FOOD FESTIVAL FAME NO LONGER BELONGS TO THE PEOPLE WHO COOK

Attention moved from kitchens to algorithms, and the entire food event economy quietly reorganized around it.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

THEY PACKAGED YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD INTO A FOOD TOUR AND THEN LONDON BOUGHT IT

Apr 1, 2026

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8 min read

THEY PACKAGED YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD INTO A FOOD TOUR AND THEN LONDON BOUGHT IT

Secret Food Tours, a PE-backed UK corporation operating in 110 cities, just acquired Ultimate Food Tours. NYC's "authentic local food experience" is now a global product line.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

THE CITY BUILT AN OFFICE FOR STREET VENDORS. WHO'S FIGHTING FOR THE RESTAURANT ON THE CORNER?

Apr 1, 2026

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7 min read

THE CITY BUILT AN OFFICE FOR STREET VENDORS. WHO'S FIGHTING FOR THE RESTAURANT ON THE CORNER?

Mayor Mamdani just created a dedicated city office to protect and advocate for street vendors. The independent restaurant operator paying $18,000 a month in rent still doesn't have a phone number to call.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

Apr 1, 2026

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7 min read

THE NEW YORK PERSONALITY DISORDER

We say one thing, do another, and somehow mean both. This isn’t hypocrisy. It’s how a city under constant pressure learns to survive.

Marco Shalma

Off The Menu

Mar 30, 2026

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6 min read

A NEW YORKER, 72 HOURS, LIMA

What happens when New York urgency collides with a city that eats slowly, drinks deliberately, and doesn’t care if you’re impressed.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

WHEN TARGET BLEEDS, YOUR CORNER SPOT ALREADY KNEW IT

Mar 29, 2026

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6 min read

WHEN TARGET BLEEDS, YOUR CORNER SPOT ALREADY KNEW IT

The biggest chain retailer in the country just confirmed what every small food operator in New York has been living in their body since before anyone called it a trend.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

NEW YORK’S RESTAURANTS ARE BARS WITH KITCHENS ATTACHED

Mar 29, 2026

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7 min read

NEW YORK’S RESTAURANTS ARE BARS WITH KITCHENS ATTACHED

New York does not run on food margins anymore. It runs on alcohol.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

NYC CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE NEED TO PROVE THEIR ECONOMIC VALUE TO SMALL BUSINESSES

Mar 26, 2026

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7 min read

NYC CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE NEED TO PROVE THEIR ECONOMIC VALUE TO SMALL BUSINESSES

IF CHAMBERS CLAIM TO REPRESENT SMALL BUSINESSES, THEY SHOULD PUBLISH HARD DATA ON COST SAVINGS, CAPITAL ACCESS, AND SURVIVAL RATES. NETWORKING IS NOT A BALANCE SHEET.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

NYC JUST BUILT A BILLION-DOLLAR TICKET MACHINE AND CALLED IT SAFETY

Mar 25, 2026

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5 min read

NYC JUST BUILT A BILLION-DOLLAR TICKET MACHINE AND CALLED IT SAFETY

Nearly $1 billion for automated enforcement with little public debate. Is this real safety reform, or a permanent revenue engine reshaping who pays for New York’s streets?

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

THE WORLD CUP IS COMING TO NEW YORK BUT SMALL BUSINESSES MAY NEVER SEE THE MONEY

Mar 24, 2026

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8 min read

THE WORLD CUP IS COMING TO NEW YORK BUT SMALL BUSINESSES MAY NEVER SEE THE MONEY

Five million visitors will arrive for the World Cup. Unless the city activates neighborhoods, most spending will stay in Manhattan sponsor zones and corporate venues.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

STREET CLEANING COPS VANISHED. THE TRASH NEVER DID. SO WHAT CHANGED?

Mar 22, 2026

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6 min read

STREET CLEANING COPS VANISHED. THE TRASH NEVER DID. SO WHAT CHANGED?

New York launched sanitation enforcement like a show of force. Uniforms. Ticket blitzes. Press conferences. Then the noise faded. The bags stayed. The rats stayed. The fines kept coming. So what actually changed?

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

ASS-COVERING IS KILLING NEW YORK. CHOOSE RISK, CHARACTER, OR ACCEPT MEDIOCRITY.

Mar 18, 2026

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8 min read

ASS-COVERING IS KILLING NEW YORK. CHOOSE RISK, CHARACTER, OR ACCEPT MEDIOCRITY.

New York did not become New York by following a rulebook.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

PBMS ARE CONSOLIDATING HEALTHCARE WHILE NEIGHBORHOOD PHARMACIES BLEED OUT

Mar 17, 2026

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8 min read

PBMS ARE CONSOLIDATING HEALTHCARE WHILE NEIGHBORHOOD PHARMACIES BLEED OUT

Reimbursement math, spread pricing, and vertical integration are pushing independent drugstores toward extinction in plain sight

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN OPERATOR CITY IS GOVERNED BY POLICY PROFESSIONALS

Mar 16, 2026

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7 min read

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN AN OPERATOR CITY IS GOVERNED BY POLICY PROFESSIONALS

New York’s economy runs on immigrants, small businesses, and operators managing daily execution risk. City Hall leadership increasingly comes from institutional policy pipelines.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

THIS IS HOW INFLUENCERS SCAMMED SMALL BUSINESSES AND TRAINED US TO ACCEPT IT

Mar 15, 2026

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5 min read

THIS IS HOW INFLUENCERS SCAMMED SMALL BUSINESSES AND TRAINED US TO ACCEPT IT

For a decade, small businesses were told exposure was oxygen. If the right account posted you, lines would form, rent would get paid, and momentum would follow. The pitch was simple. Give a free meal. Pay a fee. Trust the reach.

Marco Shalma