Marco Shalma

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

State Of The Street

NYC HAS BEEN SUBSIDIZING GROCERY ACCESS SINCE 2009. THE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE STILL WAITING.

Apr 30, 2026

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6 min read

NYC HAS BEEN SUBSIDIZING GROCERY ACCESS SINCE 2009. THE NEIGHBORHOODS ARE STILL WAITING.

The FRESH program promised healthy food for underserved New Yorkers. It delivered luxury apartments with a grocery store attached.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

NEW YORK HAS THE BEST FOOD CULTURE ON EARTH. IS ALSO HAS THE BEST PR MACHINE FOR MEDIOCRE FOOD.

Apr 28, 2026

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5 min read

NEW YORK HAS THE BEST FOOD CULTURE ON EARTH. IS ALSO HAS THE BEST PR MACHINE FOR MEDIOCRE FOOD.

Three things the hype machine sold you. The operators paying for it never got asked.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

SIX THOUSAND NYC RESTAURANTS PAID A LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT THEY NEVER SIGNED.

Apr 27, 2026

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7 min read

SIX THOUSAND NYC RESTAURANTS PAID A LAWSUIT SETTLEMENT THEY NEVER SIGNED.

DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub spent three years in court fighting the city over delivery fees. They won. Your restaurant covers the difference.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

SMALL PLATES. BIG BILL. THE FASTEST WAY TO MAKE A NEW YORKER HANGRY.

Apr 22, 2026

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2 min read

SMALL PLATES. BIG BILL. THE FASTEST WAY TO MAKE A NEW YORKER HANGRY.

Walk into half the restaurants opening in New York right now and the script is almost identical. You sit down, the server introduces the menu, and somewhere in the explanation you hear the same line. The menu is designed for sharing. What that usually means in practice is something simpler. There are no real plates.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

THE MUSIC WILL TELL YOU WHAT THE MENU WON'T.

Apr 22, 2026

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9 min read

THE MUSIC WILL TELL YOU WHAT THE MENU WON'T.

A field guide to reading any NYC restaurant before you sit down.

Marco Shalma

State Of The Street

WHEN YOUR NEIGHBOR BECOMES YOUR RESTAURANT

Apr 20, 2026

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5 min read

WHEN YOUR NEIGHBOR BECOMES YOUR RESTAURANT

California recently legalized something cities have fought for decades. People can now sell meals cooked out of their homes under a permit system.

Marco Shalma

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