Jan. 10, 2017 By Hannah Wulkan
Several small restaurant chains are moving their production headquarters and are opening eateries in The Factory building in Long Island City.
The renovated 10-story warehouse at 30-30 47th Avenue is already home to established retailers such as Madewell and Ralph Lauren, and it will now be home to three new restaurants and their production facilities.
Two Boots Pizzeria, which already has 10 locations throughout the city and several others across the country, will be selling its pizza at The Factory. It will also be moving its headquarters there in March, said Jay Fehskins, who is charge of leasing the building.
Papillon Bistro will be manufacturing its bread at The Factory sometime in February, baking products for its 54th Street location in Manhattan and its affiliated companies. It will also be selling its soup, salads and sandwiches at the building, Fehskins said.
Finally, Vanessa’s Dumplings, known for its low cost, high quality Asian food offerings, will also be moving its production facility into the building along with its fourth retail location. It will handle its global orders, catering, and possible expansion in to the grocery store market from LIC and will likely move in sometime in April.
Fehskins said that the building will likely bring in more companies that manufacture and sell food, and that he is looking for tenants that complement one another and add to the eclectic atmosphere.
“We chose these first three brands because we wanted strong brands that weren’t mainstream,” Fehskins said. “We could bring in a Starbucks or something, which is a great brand, but it’s not a brand that is befitting LIC.”
Each restaurant will have its own retail location in a designated space. Diners will be able to purchase food and then eat in the building’s so-called Breakroom.
The Breakroom is anchored by Coffeed, a local LIC brand that Fehskins said is also reflective of the type of brand he wants to bring in to the building.
The Breakroom is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday, and each week, the Breakroom features a rotating list of food cart vendors.
For more information on The Factory, visit http://www.thefactorylic.com.