STATE OF THE STREET · THE DISPLACEMENT MECHANISM
THE NEIGHBORHOOD SHOWED UP. THE RENT SHOWED UP HARDER.
Cozy Soup 'n' Burger has been feeding Astor Place since 1972. June 21 is the last order. New York has a system for this.
George Stratidis opened the doors at 739 Broadway in 1972.
His kids grew up behind that counter. Then their kids did. Three generations of the same family, same address, same diner, same block in a neighborhood that has been rebuilt around them so many times the original city barely shows through anymore. NYU expanded. The rents tripled. The coffee shops turned into concept restaurants. The concept restaurants turned into whatever comes after that. Through all of it, the Stratidises stayed at the counter, made the food, kept the prices where regular people could afford them.
