Charles Guenancia is worried about the future of Cubby's, his family's burger joint in Hell's Kitchen.
He's concerned about how congestion pricing will hurt foot traffic. Cubby's is located on 10th Avenue, near West 45th Street, and it depends on city residents outside the congestion pricing zone, as well as tourists.
What You Need To Know
- Nearly a half dozen lawsuits are all that's left to potentially hold up the implementation of congestion pricing in June
- As a result, some vendors are already notifying business owners in Midtown to expect to pay more for deliveries
- The owners of Cubby's, a burger joint in Hell's Kitchen, say that means prices for customers could go up too
"Specifically things like the Intrepid [Museum] or you know, the public libraries, you're going to see fewer and fewer people going there because of the adverse billing from congestion pricing,” Guenancia said.
Congestion pricing is expected to take effect this June. Drivers entering the congestion zone below 60th Street will have to pay a toll. That's $15 for cars between 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends.
Drivers of trucks will pay more — up to $36.
Cubby's owners told NY1 that each week, they get around 30 dozen buns delivered from their bread vendor, and they say now, because of congestion pricing, it's going to be more expensive.
Guenancia's sister Leila Colbert, his business partner, deals with companies they use outside the congestion zone, which deliver food and supplies.
"We're looking at a 5% increase on our delivery fees from our bread supplier," Colbert said. "We use a local business, Orwasher's Bakery, on the Upper West Side, so just outside of the congestion zone, and we use their bread on almost every single one of our dishes."
Jonathan Bowles, the executive director of the Center for an Urban Future, says though he thinks congestion pricing will reduce fossil fuel usage and pollution, he understands the gripes business owners have.
"I think our government leaders obviously need to to try to do things to help bring costs down where we can for businesses, and I think a lot of small businesses feel like they are always seeing the costs go up,” Bowles said.
Colbert said Cubby's was meant to be an affordable option for people in the neighborhood, and they just opened in the fall. Now she fears that may change if she needs to raise her prices.
"We want to make sure this is a space that everybody can come into, and that the prices stay approachable to this particular neighborhood," Colbert said.