Industry | Fast food restaurant |
---|---|
Founded | 1973New York City | in
Founder | Nicholas Gray |
Number of locations | 1 (2020) |
Area served | New York City |
Gray's Papaya is a hot dog restaurant located at 2090 Broadway at 72nd Street in New York City. [1] It had other locations, all of which had closed by June 2020. [2] [1] Gray's Papaya is famous for its inexpensive high-quality hot dogs, considered among the best in New York City. [3] They once sold for 50 cents each and, as of 2024, sell for $3.25.
The "papaya" in the name refers to the papaya fruit drink sold at the establishment. They also sell orange, grape, piña colada, coconut champagne and banana daiquiri fruit drinks, all of which are non-alcoholic.
The chain was founded by a former partner of Papaya King, Nicholas Gray, in 1973, [4] with its flagship, and as of 2023, only restaurant located at 2090 Broadway at 72nd Street. [1]
In the June 1, 2006, issue of Time Out New York, Gray's Papaya's hot dog was ranked first over its competitors Papaya King and Papaya Dog. [5] On March 3, 2008, The New York Times reported that Gray's Papaya had endorsed Democratic candidate Barack Obama in his campaign for the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election. [4]
The former Hell’s Kitchen location of Gray's Papaya (at Eighth Avenue and 37th Street) closed in 2011 and the Greenwich Village branch (on Sixth Avenue at 8th Street) in 2014 due to rent increases. [6] [7] For several years after, the flagship location at 72nd street was the only location left. [1]
In 2016, Gray's Papaya signed a 20-year lease for a new midtown location on Eighth Avenue, between West 39th and West 40th streets. The location opened in spring 2017 but subsequently closed in 2020 due to the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. [8] After likewise shuttering their flagship location for the "first time in 47 years" on March 30, Gray's Papaya reopened the location in May 2020, with a new version of its "recession special" that featured two franks and a tropical drink for $6.95 including tax, with frontline healthcare workers eating the special for free. [9] Thrillist listed it as one of the best hot dog locations in New York. [2]
Gray died in May 2023 at 86 due to complications from Alzheimer's. [10] Gray's family reportedly has friendly relations with the flagship store's landlord, and plans to keep the restaurant open. [10]
Gray's Papaya is famous for its inexpensive (once sold for 50 cents, as of 2023, sell for $2.95), [11] high-quality hot dogs. The "papaya" in the name refers to the papaya fruit drink sold at the establishment. They also sell orange, grape, piña colada, coconut champagne (non-alcoholic), and banana daiquiri (non-alcoholic) fruit drinks. [12] They also sell a variety of sodas. [11]
The franchise has natural skinned franks. [13] Gray's Papaya hot dogs are considered among the best in New York City. [3]
The cuisine of New York City comprises many cuisines belonging to various ethnic groups that have entered the United States through the city. Almost all ethnic cuisines are well represented in New York, both within and outside the various ethnic neighborhoods.
Katz's Delicatessen, also known as Katz's of New York City, is a kosher-style delicatessen at 205 East Houston Street, on the southwest corner of Houston and Ludlow Streets on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York City.
Bæjarins Beztu Pylsur is a small chain of hot dog stands located in Reykjavík, Iceland.
A hot dog stand is a business that sells hot dogs, usually from an external counter. Hot dog stands can be located on a public thoroughfare, near a sports stadium, in a shopping mall, or at a fair. They are often found on the streets of major American cities. According to one report, some hot dog stands are paying up to $80,000 in rent for prime locations in Manhattan.
Different areas of the world have local variations on the hot dog, in the type of meat used, the condiments added, and its means of preparation.
Shake Shack is an American fast casual restaurant chain based in New York City. It started out as a hot dog cart inside Madison Square Park in 2001, and its popularity steadily grew. In 2004, it received a permit to open a permanent kiosk within the park, expanding its menu from New York–style hot dogs to one with hamburgers, hot dogs, fries and its namesake milkshakes.
Papaya King is a fast food restaurant on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City.
Brasserie Les Halles was a French-brasserie-style restaurant located on 15 John Street in Manhattan, New York City. Previous locations were on Park Avenue South in Manhattan, in Tokyo, Miami, and Washington, D.C. Author and television host Anthony Bourdain was the predecessor to the executive chef of Brasserie Les Halles, Carlos Llaguno. The restaurant went bankrupt in August 2017.
A hot dog cart is a specialized mobile food stand for preparing and selling street food, specifically hot dogs, to passersby. In some jurisdictions, a cart operator must meet stringent health regulations designed to protect the public. Hot dog carts are quick and easy food services, supplying millions of people with food every day. In 2015 the U.S. Hot Dog Council estimated that 15% of the approximately 10 billion hot dogs consumed by Americans in 2014 were purchased from a mobile hot dog vendor cart. Hot dog carts are very common in New York City, and most of the hot dogs purveyed by hot dog carts in New York City are sourced from Sabrett.
Marathon Enterprises, Inc., is a major regional supplier of meats and gourmet delicatessen products to the food service industry in the New York City metropolitan area. Headquartered in Englewood, New Jersey, it is a private corporation, and sells its products under the Sabrett brand name.
Pommes Frites is a New York City restaurant which specializes in Belgian-style fries. The restaurant was located in the East Village at 123 2nd Avenue, but relocated to 128 MacDougal Street after the original building was destroyed in a 2015 natural gas explosion.
Burger Heaven was a family owned diner-style burger restaurant in New York City, established in 1943. It closed its final location in February 2020 citing the increase in "delivery culture".
Veselka is a Ukrainian restaurant at 144 Second Avenue in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was established in 1954 by Wolodymyr Darmochwal and his wife, Olha Darmochwal, post–World War II Ukrainian refugees. Veselka is one of the last of many Slavic restaurants that once proliferated in the neighborhood. A cookbook, published in October 2009 by St. Martin's Press, highlights more than 120 of the restaurant's Eastern European recipes.
Charles Feltman (1841–1910) was a German-American restaurateur. He is one of several claimed inventors of the hot dog. In 1871, Feltman began building his restaurant complex. It achieved its heyday in the 1920s, serving nearly 5,250,000 people a year, being a large restaurant complex with several restaurants, two bars, a beer garden, a famous carousel, and other attractions, and offering many types of food beyond hot dogs.
Harry & Ida's Meat and Supply Co. was a smokehouse and delicatessen located in Alphabet City, Manhattan, New York City that operated from 2015 to 2019.
Therapy was a two-story gay bar and nightclub in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It hosted frequent drag shows, some of which featured performers who later rose to prominence on RuPaul's Drag Race. The venue was a favorite Monday-night stop for Broadway actors, who sometimes participated in the club's shows. Like other New York City nightlife establishments, Therapy was ordered to close temporarily in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In July of that year, the venue's owner announced that it was unlikely to reopen, citing financial troubles. Therapy's atmosphere, drink selection, food and entertainment have generally received positive remarks from critics.
Chung Chun Rice Dog, also known as Chung Chun Rice Hot Dog and Chungchun Ssal, is a restaurant chain with more than 300 locations internationally.
Hop Kee is a Cantonese restaurant in Chinatown, Manhattan, opened in 1968, described as “the cornerstone of a legendary block of Mott Street.”
Dallas BBQ is a restaurant dining chain in New York City, founded in 1978 by the Wetanson family. The restaurant serves Texas-style barbecue ribs, chicken and steaks. As of 2023 the chain had ten restaurants around the New York metropolitan area.