UPPER WEST SIDE — Restaurants have to contend with myriad issues to survive in the Big Apple: steep rent increases, fickle customers, and uncontrollable forces like burst pipes and scaffolding going up right outside their door.
Larry Bellone decided to take the risk, partnering with Will Tracy, who sold his 20th Street eatery Punch to open Tessa, an upscale Mediterranean restaurant on Amsterdam Avenue at West 77th Street.
In this podcast, Upper West Side Emily Frost sat down with Bellone nearly a year after he opened Tessa to talk about how he deals with the neighborhood's slow lunch scene, why he doesn't give lingering tables the boot and what will give his restaurant staying power.
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We want to hear your reactions. Do you worry local restaurants will be replaced by drug stores and banks? What irks you most about the current restaurant climate? Let us know in the comments below.
Did you miss last week's episode? Check it out here.
