Scores of Big Apple eateries are evaporating amid the coronavirus crisis. So each week, Help Our Neighborhood Restaurants will highlight top neighborhood spots fighting to stay afloat while adhering to strict safety standards: the HONoR Roll. Thanks to our partner chef JJ Johnson, along with NBA Star Kyrie Irving and Beyond Meat, a New Yorker in need will get a plant-based burger whenever you order.
George Constantinou Fernandez (right) and Farid Ali Lancheros, co-owners of Bogota Latin Bistro
If there’s one sliver of a silver lining to his restaurant Bogota Latin Bistro shuttering everything but takeout and delivery services, it’s a fruit mojito. Or sangria. “What’s helped the most is the ability to sell liquor,” says George Constantinou Fernandez, co-owner of the Park Slope favorito since 2005. “It’s usually two to four drinks per order.”
That’s about one-third of his business these days, which took an 80% hit the week of the citywide dine-in ban on March 16. Bogota’s revenue has since bounced up some 20%, in part due to the New York State Liquor Authority allowing to-go alcohol sales for restaurants with an appropriate license.
“We had two weeks to change our business model overnight and revamp,” says Fernandez. This U-turn was underscored in a recent New York Times Op-Ed penned by six New York City celebrity chefs, including Tom Colicchio: “Our economic model requires people in seats.” There’s real pressure on Bogota to replace its fiesta vibe with a takeout menu.
Fernandez, a Colombian-Greek Cypriot, and his Colombian-Palestinian partner, Farid Ali Lancheros, opened Bogota as an homage to their Latina mothers. Their childhood dinners with family and friends inform an authentic menu of regional dishes. “It’s a greatest hits of Latin cooking,” says Fernandez.
With two other Park Slope eateries (plus one in South Orange, NJ), Fernandez and Lancheros remain ‘Brooklyn Strong.’ In recent days they’ve provided reduced-cost catering to a Brooklyn Navy Yard company making protective masks and the Brooklyn Hospital Center. It’s far more personal when it comes to helping their still-employed and laid-off workers. “They either want the work to support their families or are scared to come in,” says Fernandez. With the small uptick in business, he’s rehired two to three people.
“My job now is chief loan officer,” he says of the days he spends talking to bankers and public officials about loans. “I’m applying for as much as I can get or what comes my way. My bank account is dwindling.” Still, he’s optimistic. “Right now, we will survive. If you’re limited to what restaurants you can choose, you are going to go with your favorite.”
Bogota Latin Bistro
Address: 141 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn, NY, 11217
Suggested dishes: Black bean dip, veggie empanadas, arroz con pollo, Ropa Vieja
Price range: $4 - $30
Phone number: (718) 230-3805
Website: bogotabistro.com
Protect the jobs of thousands of restaurant industry employees and owners, most of whom need the money to provide for their families, with the simple act of ordering food. Head to our website to find the HONoR businesses in your neighborhood. Order direct, often, and tip generously, if you can.
