June 8, 2018 By Christian Murray
Ben’s Best, the Kosher deli that has been located in Rego Park for nearly 75 years, is closing.
The owner of the 96-40 Queens Blvd. establishment made the announcement on the restaurant’s website yesterday.
“Regretfully, after seventy-three wonderful years, Ben’s Best will be closing its doors on Saturday June 30,” the deli announced. “We are very grateful to everyone who has supported us and we hope to see you one last time.”
The deli is owned by Jay Parker, whose father Benjamin opened the famed deli in 1945. The deli is known for its old-fashioned pastrami, matzo ball soup and fresh rye bread.
The deli has struggled in recent times, with Parker attributing much of the decline to the Department of Transportation’s installation of protected bicycle lanes on Queens Boulevard, which required the reduction of parking spaces.
The DOT put down protected bicycle lanes by his establishment in August as part of Phase 3 of the Queens Boulevard redesign. The city removed 198 parking spaces to make way for the bike lanes on the boulevard between Eliot Avenue in Rego Park and Yellowstone Boulevard in Forest Hills.
Parker has said that many of his customers have struggled to find parking and many have simply given up on his deli.
“We’re down 17 percent and this is my busy time,” Parker told the Queens Chronicle in November. “I’m spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in marketing to get people to come here. But my city is inconveniencing them and they’re going to go somewhere else.”
Parker was not immediately available for comment.
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95 Comments
Where did your employees go?
Besides visiting my brothers, I have nothing to come back to New York for. Blessings to you Mr. Parker Sir. You and your Father served up the finest batch of Kosher food in New York. I’ll always remember being greeted by My Parker with a fresh slice of Kosher Corned Beef upon entering the deli. You will truly be missed.
♥️Aaron from Kissimmee, FL♥️
It has nothing to do with the bike lane. It also not due to “bad inspections”; contrary to comments here, the place has had an “A” rating according to the DOH website. It all has to do with the prices!. Too exhorbitant. A few feet away there is a Kosher place; an hamburger there including salad, fries and a can of soda: $11.50. And honestly, more tasty that at Ben’s. Always busy. I recently asked the owner of the establishment if the bike lane had affected the business, he said no; he actually didn’t know the bike lane was there. Had Ben’s had reasonable prices it would have had more volume.
I just have to speak to these comments about the health dept. citations. I know that many of you have no clue as to what happens to stores that are in areas where other stores do renovations or demos. Where do you think all those insects and rodents go the moment and demo work is started? They go into other buildings and stores and infest them. The cleanest of businesses have this problem and it happens often. Many businesses in many buildings share what they call an open ceiling space, meaning above what we see as the store’s ceiling, above that is opened space of other stores in the same building. This could also be true to shared basements in the same buildings. They all share the same drains for waste water and drainage. And these stores cannot seal themselves off from these shared spaces because them also share the building’s fire sprinkler systems. The moment there is any structural movement in these buildings, there will be a migration of insects and rodents. IT HAPPENS IN SO MANY BUILDINGS ALL THROUGHOUT THE BOROS. It’s part of the life of being a business owner in NYC. What’s even sadder is when one business owner calls for an exterminator and their business is sprayed or traps set, the insects and rodents just move to another location, usually the store next door to get away and later just come back. So if one would just look at all those stores next to others including the subways to do exterminations all the time, it’s a losing battle unless there is a full fumigation of the entire building complex. But it it will be only a matter of time before the infestation is back again because it will only be a matter of time before someone moves a wall, ceiling or doorway renovation and the move is on again.
The Queens Blvd. bike lanes need to go. They are irrelevant and barely used, even on the nicest days. Forest Hills taxpayers are subsidizing these lanes (200 lost parking spaces x $300/month parking fee) to the amount of $60,000 per month. Now we have lost a Forest Hills icon in Ben’s Best (family owned, not to be mistaken for Ben’s). Jay has generously supported local community events and children’s sports teams. Jay has been a community advocate. They cause increased pollution because drivers require longer times to find parking. The turns onto the service road require drivers to turn their heads backwards almost 180 degrees, a poorly thought out traffic design. During the winter, the plastic poles separating the Forest Hills bike lanes from the service road were plowed down and required replacement. This is a failed policy that needs to be cured through removal of the bike lanes and reinstitution of the original parking spaces.
Not to mention that politicians may be targeting Ben’s Best because of its famously libertarian leaning ways…
You’re completely ignorant and misinformed. Ben’s isn’t closing because of the bike lanes. Jay is using it as an excuse for his own failure to maintain the quality of the business. Look up the health grades of Ben’s
on the NYC restaurant grade website. Ben’s is closing because it is filthy, rat infested, and unsafe to eat.
William Tell is right! Absolutely and completely. I couldn’t have put it better myself. I’m so sorry to see Ben’s go. It’s a sad day for our neighborhood.
No, Monica Lane is right! The bike lanes have nothing to do with it. His business has been languishing for years, way before the bike lanes were installed. Could it be the cost of a pastrami sandwich is $22? Could it be that his business model never caught up with current customer needs & desires? Thank you, Monica Lane, for stating the obvious. Anyone who says bikers are not using the bike lane must not observe the lanes themselves, since they’re being used by bicycles and scooters 24/7.
I used to live in Forest Hills for many years and frequented Ben’s. The sandwiches were the best in Queens in my opinion. Unfortunately, the mindset changes and traditions become meaningless. I live in a small town in MA now. The closest deli is in Boston. We haven’t any here, my loss.
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turn your keyword into a long-term key word using location, these as for
example for instance”essential oils London” or”essential oils in New York” as
examples
Most people in FH walk or take public transit. Druving into the city can take an hour or longer. LIRR FH station to Penn Station takes 14 minutes and I get some exercise walking. The auto traffic is miserable. My dau pays $600 mo to park a car they rarely use in Manhattan. The bike lanes aren’t the problem but their food, cleanliness, business model and follow through are an issue. They made themselves irrelevant.
I never went to the Ben’s in FH but went to the one in the city between 7th and 8th Ave a few mis ago w my daugter. We had an overpriced, terrible lunch. I eat out often and it was one of the most pathetic food experiences I’ve had in the city. They didn’t even have coffee creamer. Coffeemate and similar items are milk free. The iwners are just too lazy to figure out what they need to do to keep business. Perhaps they need a kosher section and a sep deli section to stay in business. We were the only women in the restaurant eating when we were there. Perhaps they need to figure out how to cater to women customers.
To Cheryl Ostrow: I read your comments and it is sad that you are inconsiderate of those who can not walk and need to drive to get what they need. Yes, parking is a vital part of city living. It was also inconsiderate that you went to Ben’s in Manhattan (no affiliation with the one in Forest Hills) and again have a lack of knowledge regarding kosher dietary laws but you comment anyway. It is ok, you can live on the same planet of those that are smarter than you.
Cheryl Ostrow, your comment is ignorant. Ben’s Best of Queens Blvd in Rego Park is family owned and has no affiliation with any other establishment named Ben’s Deli. As you’ve never eaten at Ben’s Best, your comment is irrelevant.
Not the same Ben’s. A shame to besmirch the wrong business.
When business owners (and not just Ben’s) started complaining about the loss of business after the bike lanes were installed, bike lane advocates claimed, in essence, the loss business would be more than made up by the influx of people shoppers/customers traveling by bicycle along Queens Blvd. Other than the one instance of a videotaped staged visit to Ben’s published by a Transportation Alternatives, I have not seen any shoppers traveling by bicycle along Queens Blvd. When will we start to see the shopping by bike phenomena start up along Queens Blvd?
So, you get onto the service road and there is now no parking for any of the businesses. Those who need to get in and out quick will never park across Queens Blvd and are simply double parking. In order to get around the double parked vehicles you must then enter the bike lane, a clear hazard all around. Of course, the bike lane is generally devoid of any bikers and is now being used as a passing lane to get around those double parked as the businesses up and down the service road slowly die. It was only a matter of time before one of New York City’s landmark establishments has now succumbed as a result.
So if I understand you correctly, its not really about the bike lane. As in most conversations about the bike lane you’ve described bad and/or lazy behavior of drivers, and then concluded it’s the bike lane’s fault. Got it.
I’ve given up going to the stores and Ben’s because there is no parking. I’m not lazy and I love biking but where are the people riding bikes on Queens Blvd. who want to shop or eat? It’s unfortunate that good places like Ben’s are forced to go out of business due to lack of parking.
The owner is using the bike lanes as an excuse for his own neglect of the business.
The failure of Ben’s Best has nothing to do with lack of parking. I saw the “B” grade in the window and checked the health violations. This place is invested with mice and is totally unsanitary. I wouldn’t be surprised if customers were getting sick. Jay stopped caring about the restaurant way before the bike lines were set up. I’m glad I checked the NYC Department of Health website before eating here again. It really is a shame.
That’s not true, he never stopped caring !!!!!
I hope the community can do something. It’s not just a restaurant. It’s history.
I took my mom back to Ben’s 5 years ago. She hadn’t been there in over 50 years. She loved it.
It is history, and I am glad you and your mum had a good time. Though your story also really illustrates what really has happened to the store, which is that people have moved away and aren’t going there anymore. Add to that no observable effort to advertise in the community, and there was no way the business model was sustainable.
The reason why Bens is closing is because of the health violations. Look it up with the department of health. 51 point violation during last months inspection. This place has been invested with rats for years, but people want to blame the bike lanes.
maybe we could get a vegetarian restauraunt, to serve the more modern tastes of todays new york, something that the walkers, bikers, bus riders, and subway riders who are the majority of people in the area would aspire to eat in, instead of people who come from far away in cars to clog their arteries and our streets when eating in this unhealthy establishment. Btw, some will complain that the city requiring a minimum price of 13 dollars a pack of cigarettes will cause stores to close, saving lives is more important.
To j whitney: What a dopey comment you made. It is apparent that YOU do not understand life and what is around you. Perhaps, just a guess you are a do nothing millennial. Just saying..
I wish I was a millennial, they are a great generation that is accomplishing what previous generations could only fantasize about.
IAMRIGHTAGAIN is the DOPE here
There actually is a Vegan restaurant just the next block over from Ben’s called Green Zenphony. It is asian based cuisine. Check it out.
And as for Ben’s, its a shame to see it close, but if you can’t sell really expensive sandwiches in a store that sits on top of a subway station that gets 16,000 riders/day, in a dense neighborhood with 20-30,000 people within walking distance, and with a half-empty, cheap parking garage across the street, then I’m sorry , but your business model isn’t working. The bike lane makes for an easy scapegoat, but its clear the business had other, bigger problems.
j Whitney, there is already a vegetarian restaurant named Green Zenphony on the next block. And also an organic market on 63rd Dr next to the Duane Reade around the corner.
Our family has been telling Jay for years to cater to all his former customers here in Cary NC. He would make a mint!!!
As a Community, let’s try to save one of the few landmark, Jewish/Kosher Delis in The United States – The store’s closing will be an end to more than a restaurant – It will be the end of a culture that once existed in Rego Park. Some things need to be fought for, and the fact that there are more then 200 unhappy comments in regard to this sudden news, means we, as a community, need to get support from our community leaders…..Congressmen, Congresswoman, Entrepreneurs, Other politicians, etc. LET’S SAVE ONE OF REGO PARKS TREASURES !
Such a shame!! I lived basically next door 97-50 Qb and used to eat there a lot!? Sorry to see it go?
If there is so much business being missed out on due to drivers not being able to park to pick up their to-go orders, has Ben’s considered phone-ahead curb-side pickup? If your customers can’t be bothered to park across the street, bring the food out to then. Do online orders. Deliver. But don’t blame lack of parking. Under that theory, every business in midtown and downtown Manhattan should have closed decades ago…
But if your business model requires that your customers be provided on-site parking, move to a shopping strip/mall with a parking lot…
All I will say is you gave a very stupid comment.
And you are stupid for telling us so.
Parking in very densely populated areas has always been precarious at best. I don’t believe lack of a few parking spaces caused this business to leave. Skyrocketing rent and other overhead are most likely to blame. As Mr. Paykin said, Manhattan wouldn’t exist if it depended on parking spaces.
Manhattan is very different animal. They dont usually own cars, they walk everywhere.
to some extent you are right, though our neighborhood has only 60% household car ownership, while that is a majority, that still leaves 40% of households without a car. And when you consider most folks in a household don’t even use the car that is available the majority of people in the area are walking and using public transport to get around. This isn’t a suburb. Ben’s is surrounded by 6-8 story apartment buildings. At least 20,000 people live in walking distance. The subway station his shop is literally on top of gets 16,000 riders a day, and 3 bus routes come together at that intersection Q38, Q60 and Q72. Throw in the cheap parking garage just across the street, and this claim simply doesn’t hold water.
Peter Beetle you are an idiot second to none.
Due to the dividers on the boulevard as well as the bicycle lane no one wants to walk a 1/4+1/2 mile to get to a restaurant that’s what’s driving is all about. The bicycle people are using a bike to exercise go to a park no one is using those bike Lanes to commute to Manhattan is not energy efficient nor is it Manpower efficient.
Thousands of manpower hours are being lost due to people waiting in traffic every day. You don’t understand Queens this is not Brooklyn Ocean Parkway this is not the Bronx Grand Concourse
People really need to stop blaming the bike lanes for this. The health violations is the reason why Ben’s is closing. It’s obvious that the owner stop caring about the restaurant a long time ago. I was going to stop here before it closed, but I changed my mind after checking the health department website. Ben’s is rat invested and the workers are filthy. The bike lanes is a sorry excuse for the owner’s neglect.
Almost ran over a bicyclist on queens blvd today because he wasnt in the bike lane—he was riding in the street next to the parked cars. Fantastic. I see cyclists not in the bike lanes so often. So glad for bike lanes. Why have them if people dont use them??
Have you ever driven faster than the speed limit? Why have speed limits if people dont use them??
But what’s the point of not using the bike lanes? It’s 12 feet wide and empty. Much faster and safer. Speeders speed to get somewhere faster. They’re gaining something at least.
The cyclist might have moved out of the bike lane to turn right. Or to stop at a deli for a sandwich. Or to stop and talk to a friend.
If you saw him, why did you almost run him over?
People who ride bikes don’t support NYS or the insurance companies. They don’t have to pay for insurance, inspection or insurance. Why are they being given special treatment and putting people out of business, not to mention inconviencing drivers? I hope they relocate in the area. Citi bikes have made this city ugly and so has Mayor DeButthead and DOT butthead Polly.
What are you talking about? We all pay the same taxes you do. Paying insurance benefits insurance companies, not NYS, and while there are the occasional crash with a pedestrian, there are fewer such crashes causing far fewer and less serious injuries than a car. Bikes also cause almost no wear and tear on the roads, so their use isn’t costing us millions to fill potholes. Thus encouraging bike use, even without insurance or registration, is much more cost beneficial than relying on cars. Plus, what we really need is universal healthcare instead of the insane patch work of health insurance, no-fault, disability, etc. But to say that people using a bike don’t support the state is just wrong.
Of course, bicyclist/pedestrian crashes are woefully under-reported since there’s no way of identifying the bicyclist and they almost always ride off. Another fact that gets ignored by bike lane proponents is that Queens Blvd already was made substantially safer by actions which long predated installation of the bike lanes such as reduction in speed limit, dedicated enforcement of traffic regulations like the speed limit and yield to pedestrian on turns, lengthened crossing times and build outs of curb corners. There’s zero evidence to support the notion that the bike lanes alone had an effect one way or another on pedestrian safety on Queens Blvd.
Thanks Comrade DiBlasio! You have to break some eggs to make an omelette! Isn’t it great to have these bike lanes that nobody uses during the winter!
Most of the comments are made by people that have never own their own businesses and never had the mounting bills that a business owner has so put yourself in his shoes and realize how hard it is to open a business when most of the people shop online and don’t support their local businesses a lot of you people have cushy jobs with benefits a business owner doesn’t and the bike lanes are very rarely have a used so try to support your local business and stop crying
Since the bike lanes started I no longer shop along Queens Blvd. I use to go over to Ben’s around 6:30 every two weeks but I stopped because even two blocks away there is no free parking. I look at times at the bike routes and no one is using them.
You could pay for parking if you really wanted to eat there. The problem isn’t the loss of parking its the loss of free parking.
So you care so much about Ben’s closing that you wouldn’t go across the street to the parking garage that charges less than $3 for an hour of parking in order to support it? Ok, that makes sense.
Once again Peter Beetle you are an idiot… parking meters charge $1 per hour why should I have to pay for 3 it doesn’t take that long to eat and the customers dry because sometimes they cannot walk too far where are the handicap parking spaces you are not in business only the idiots business
Isn’t there a Bens Best in the Whitestone Shopping Mall?
There is a Ben’s Best in Bay Terrace Shopping Center. I used to take my mother there. We shared a mushroom barley soup and I always had a lean pastrami on rye, round potato knish and a Dr Brown Cream Soda. Those were the days.
If you mean the shopping center at Bell Boulevard in Bayside, that’s Ben’s Deli, not Ben’s Best. Two different owners. The one in Bayside is part of a chain that has several locations, including Long Island, Scarsdale, and Boca Raton, in addition to the Bayside location. Ben’s Best is a single location, on Queens Boulevard. I used to eat there quite often when I worked a couple of blocks away on Queens Boulevard about 25 years ago. Great food. I live in northern Westchester now, and I’ve been to Ben’s Best maybe once in the last 20 years. Sad to hear it’s closing.
There’s a Ben’s in the Bay Terrace Shopping Center but I don’t think it’s related. Food is good there and plenty of parking.
Why should I have to drive a half an hour when I have a kosher deli in my neighborhood that was just 10-15 minutes away
Bens Best simply couldn’t survive because the demographic of the neighborhood has changed. They should have relocated over two decades ago to long island, went kosher style and diversified their menu and improved the atmosphere. Peoples dining tastes have changed, and Bens best didn’t keep up with it. If I had the money, I would buy the restaurant and relocate it.
Three times in one week I tried to go there. NO PARKING!! I’ve given up and can’t shop on that strip anymore. Very sad, been shopping there for years. Thank you Mayor and DOT, bike lanes are sure helping the city!!
There is a cheap parking lot directly across the street. You aren’t willing to spend less than $5 to park so you can go to Ben’s? It’s not the bike lane that’s the problem, its that people apparently aren’t willing to walk across the street from where there is ample parking.
You ever try crossing Queens Boulevard ??
Literally every day. And since the redesign that intersection is much safer than it used to be.
Oh may God I have been going there for over 45 years this was the best I also took my children there and my mom she loved she also had to have two hog dogs and potato knish withe celery soda will miss it so much
“But my city is inconveniencing them…” This is the key phrase, bike lanes are an inconvenience, not a business killer. He’s got other issues that he’s either not discussing or isn’t perceiving. They’re very close to all sorts of transportation options, so in all likelihood bike lanes aren’t the reason for the closure. It certainly has made things more difficult for drivers and delivery drivers in particular, but likely Parker is blaming/venting the latest thing that is frustrating to his business. Most of their customers aren’t coming there via car.
Similarly, any plan to change the nature of a thoroughfare nicknamed the ‘Blvd. of Death’ with traffic calming and sharing the roadways with other modes of transport needs to happen. Driving in Queens has it’s own difficulties, there is no doubt about that. What is worse is the deadly circus that is created every day when drivers don’t obey the law and drive responsibly. The bus-only lanes on Woodhaven Blvd. have only made it better. Once people see they can bike on QB without serious risk to their lives, cyclists will use them to great effect just as they have everywhere else that lanes have been implemented.
It is clear that you are not familiar with Ben’s nor it’s customers. Driving in for a pick up is a tremendous part of their business and the lack of parking has even deterred me a loyal customer at times from stopping by to pick up some food. The choice to remove thousands of parking spots for bike lanes does not fit NYC. This is not Europe or southern California. NYC is cold or rainy a large part of the year which is why the majority of the time the bike lanes are empty as far as the eye can see 90% of the day. Even in the optimal riding months the lanes are still quite baron. Meanwhile bumper to bumper traffic all summer long. Queens blvd was named “The Blvd of Death” several years ago just as a catchy news article during a time where there were a number of deaths close together of mainly elderly people that should not have been crossing any street unassisted in the first place. You actually have to string together about a of decade of time to show any major death numbers there to merit that name considering the large population of the area. Lastly I use to bike from Queens to Manhattan every day the entire length of the Blvd from start to finish and never found it dangerous at all. The moves the DOT made were thoughtless and completely unnecessary. The outer lanes had slower traffic and were already well suited for biking. Not to say that there are not other factors in the loss of this iconic deli but I can easily see how this issue is a factor. If some business are on the fence why push them over the edge to add something to your resume to say you “fixed”? Not to mention over 100 Millions dollars spent on Queens Blvd alone for this. Wonder who got those lovely contracts? No other programs needed that money? Politricks……
Actually Boulevard of Death is a misnomer. It should be called the Boulevard of Stupid People since I always see people crossing between the lights, or against the lights even when cars are coming. Even people with canes and walkers. And I barely see people in the bike lanes. And I hardly ever see cyclists obeying the traffic laws, so maybe things would be safer for them if they did. And people would be safer if they crossed at the lights, and didn’t try to get all the way across if they can’t make it across all the lanes on one light. I stand by my comment that the bike lanes have destroyed our neighborhood and the small businesses.
While I am a cycling advocate, the city’s fantasy of fewer automobiles and “cleaner” transportation is a dream. People are set in their ways and if problems like these are a result; it’s not worth it. cyclists will find a way; and Queens blvd is so dangerous to being with,you’re nuts to bike there
I’ve never understood this argument that Queens Blvd is too dangerous, therefore, we shouldn’t make it safer. It’s absurd. And how can you call yourself a cycling advocate and take such a position that is in such opposition to a project that already has reduced crashes on the Blvd and reduced pedestrian injuries by over 50%. This design works, but it makes for an easy scapegoat.
Show me a better way to get to the QB bridge and I’ll take it.
I call BS on the bike lanes excuse. That’s what, two spaces tops in front of the store? They’ve been on Queens Blvd, a major thoroughfare, for DECADES. My guess is they just wanted to retire and the bike lanes are a convenient stalking horse for them since every other alter kocker in the neighborhood is bitching about them too.
Hundreds of thousands on marketing ….???? I call BS. Maybe dietary trends are evolving ?
I think to blame the bike lane on the closure of the business is a bit too convenient. They are located in a very dense neighborhood on top of a subway.
Also where was the marketing in the neighborhood. I surely didn’t see any.
I love this place so much! Very sad to see it go. My family and I have been going here for years. This is an ongoing problem throughout the city. I have watched vision zero and DOT remove thousands of parking spaces, extend sidewalks way into the street and turn 3 lanes to two lanes and two to one. They have created massive traffic congestion and then want congestion pricing. I’m a cyclist and hate what they have done to my city.
Anthony, Correct!
I never went to the Ben’s in FH but went to the one in the city between 7th and 8th Ave a few mis ago w my daugter. We had an overpriced, terrible lunch. I eat out often and it was one of the most pathetic food experiences I’ve had in the city. They didn’t even have coffee creamer. Coffeemate and similar items are milk free. The iwners are just too lazy to figure out what they need to do to keep business. Perhaps they need a kosher section and a sep deli section to stay in business. We were the only women in the restaurant eating when we were there. Perhaps they need to figure out how to cater to women customers.
Even if this is true and the bike lane cause a decline in business, so what? The bike lane also has resulted in much safer cycling on Queens Blvd, and significantly less fatalities. Are you saying we should kill some cyclists as long as it means keeping a deli in business? Are you really saying we should kill some people just to make parking more convenient? Is it worth more than a human life?
A human life is priceless. If you told me that shutting down every business on the whole Blvd would save just one life, I would be in favor of it.
Wow, you are one heartless, self-involved a–hole. It’s 2018, we need to support small businesses, not destroy them.
Best kosher deli in Queens, a dying breed. You will be missed!!
Best kosher deli in Queens. You will be missed!!
These bike lanes have created the worst chaos I have ever seen. There is no longer any place to park, and cars can’t get by, nor can buses. There are always horns blaring, so there is a noise hazard as well. It’s terrible that Ben’s will be closing and I’m sure that other businesses will be following suit. Mayor DeBlasio is destroying our neighborhood. It’s awful. And there are rarely any bikes in the bike lanes. We want our parking spaces back and we want our businesses and restaurants to stay. Please stop this nonsense. You want to make money from parking meters, but have taken away all of our parking spaces, so how does that help the city? I hear nothing but complaints from all of my neighbors. Please reverse this terrible mistake.
I own my own business,I own a car, I pay insurance,taxes and I ride a bike.
The parking is non existent as the curbside parking on most of the block is officially limited to van loading and unloading.. The bike lanes create a dreadful hazard as they are hardly used and all vehicles, including buses, routinely pull into the bike lane to get by. This issue needs to be revisited ASAP before more neighborhood businesses close.
AGREED… I second the motion
I’m going to ride my bike there on june 30th and be the last customer there lulz
Yeah , I’ll meet up with you at the cafe stop before and we can roll out
One of the few kosher delis left. This is a tremendous loss. I am personally heartbroken. Damn the bike lanes.
But the DOT says business will increase, and that we have nothing to worry about?? LIES
Way to ruin a business. Thanks, DeBlasio and DOT; you are the worst!
The bike lanes are a huge problem the city has created. The city needs to remove them asap. This is a perfect example of the ciaos they have created. Do I hear class action lawsuit against the city? You just may win. Yes we the tax payers will be footing the bill but it would be well worth it to have those lanes removed and put back parking spaces.
Where do you all feel that it’s the bike lanes fault.
Since the bike lanes were installed no one has died on the boulevard of death.
People are using bikes to get into the city.
Less carbon is being wasted.
Cars,bikes,walking all need to learn to live together
I am sure there are many other reasons for Ben’s closing.
The bike lanes are empty. The unlawful scooters without license plates use the lanes as well as the sidewalks without ever being cited. No one cares anymore.
Jay Parker is right. I have been a customer for 45 years and have never seen the place so empty since they put in the bike lanes. The Mayor and politicians don’t care about small business . How many people have lost their jobs from the stupidity of the bike lanes on Queens Blvd.
The situation has made the Blvd. very dangerous. The service lanes are now down to one traffic lane. It causes a dangerous condition for all concerned.
This was not very well thought out. There are no bikes in the bike lanes and no customers at Ben’s because of these lanes. Sorry to see you go Jay! Your Dad is looking down and is equating the Bike Lanes with “Baloney” Hope you change your mind. ” There is no longer a place for Roll Beef if you go”
Harold Schiffer-Retired NYPD
People driving while they are looking at their cell phones is what makes Queens Blvd. dangerous. There are too many idiots with cars in the neighborhood that do not pay attention to the road.
Furthermore, Ben’s is closing because it’s rat invested and unsafe. Check the NYC DOH Mr. Schiffer. Jay simply does not care about the restaurant and used the bike lanes as an excuse. All of the idiot drivers use the bike lanes as an excuse as well.