LINCOLN SQUARE — That's cheesy.
A glitzy candy shop opening on Broadway this summer will also serve as a party space with regular DJ appearances and a full restaurant — featuring a menu similar to that of the Cheesecake Factory's, its owner said.
Sugar Factory, a favorite of the Kardashians with outposts in the Meatpacking District and the Barclay's Center, is bringing its over-the-top candy concept to 1991 Broadway near West 68th Street.
In addition to a 12-foot-wide carousel it will manage next to the shop, Sugar Factory will include a 150-seat restaurant serving such dishes as steak frites, burgers, a cheese plate and "many many desserts," owner Tom Racine told Community Board 7's Business and Consumer Issues Committee.
"We have a really big menu," he said at a meeting Wednesday. "I compare it to a Cheesecake Factory."
Members of the committee — which ultimately voted to recommend approving a full liquor license for the space — were initially wary of Racine's plan to have DJs regularly playing music until 2 a.m.
"It would be the same volume [as background music]," said Racine, who promised to add soundproofing above the restaurant for tenants living in the building. "The DJ adds to the environment. It’s really just an addition to the environment."
Sugar Factory is known for hosting events, from bachelorette to Sweet 16 parties, which Racine also hopes to do at the Upper West Side location.
However, "it’s not a nightclub," he told the board.
Mark Dooley, who lives nearby, said that while he and his neighbors welcomed the venture, they were concerned about the hours and "the spillage late at night," with people walking and talking outside.
"A lot of people are retired and don’t want to live in Times Square," Dooley said of his neighbors.
Racine assured him and the board that the restaurant would benefit from having people walk through the street-facing public space to get to the restaurant. It will serve as a "buffer" and prevent the overflow of guests onto the street at night, he said.
"We don’t want issues," Racine noted. "We want to definitely fit into the neighborhood."
Sugar Factory will operate a carousel in the public space until midnight, when the space closes, he added.
"The carousel is really to add to the character of the neighborhood," Racine said.
Residents have reacted with mixed emotions to news of the opening, with some ruing the arrival of another sweets-focused spot and others happy the space would no longer remain vacant.
"This place has been empty for a long time," said board member Michelle Parker. "We’re looking forward to a restaurant."
