Ice cream shop Four Winters has closed its shop at 47-38 Vernon Blvd. (Photo: Michael Dorgan; LIC Post)
March 11, 2021 By Michael Dorgan
The international ice cream company Four Winters, known for making ice cream with liquid nitrogen, has closed its shop at 47-38 Vernon Blvd. after falling behind on rent and utility payments.
Landlord Howard Adams took back control of his premises Friday after filing a non-payment case against the company in January.
The shop opened its doors in August 2019 in what was the company’s first step into the New York market as part of a global expansion.
The shop struggled to meet the high customer demand in its opening few weeks and even had to shut temporarily on its opening day.
“For about the first month they couldn’t make enough ice cream in a 24-hour-period to cover what they were selling the following day,” according to Adams.
However, despite its initial success, the company failed to make full rent payments for months.
Four Winters took over the lease in January 2019 after providing several assurances that they would be able to meet their rent obligations, Adams said.
“They provided financial statements which showed they had a million dollars in the bank to build the location and to fund it,” he said.
But after an introductory period of free and discounted rent had been applied, the company failed to meet their payments even though they continued to give verbal assurances that they would, he said.
Inside ice cream shop Four Winters at 47-38 Vernon Blvd. (Photo: Michael Dorgan; LIC Post)
Adams said he became very concerned after reading online that the company had closed its premises in California and the UK.
After filing the non-payment case the company told him they were closing all of their locations, Adams said.
Then, a few weeks ago, Con-Ed cut the shop’s electricity off due to outstanding bills which effectively shut down its operations.
Adams said he only ever received a few months rent and is owed about $30,000 in rent alone.
Nonetheless, Four Winters did make significant upgrades to the space and Adams is hopeful he will sign new tenants quickly after receiving significant interest from local business people.
Elsewhere, Palace Chicken and Grill on 44-45 21st St. has also closed. The signage outside the eatery has been removed and the shutters are down.
The owners of the establishment and the landlord could not be reached for comment.
Palace Chicken and Grill on 44-45 21st St. has also closed. (Photo: Michael Dorgan; LIC Post).
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8 Comments
Palace Chicken was amazing. It will be missed.
I can’t think of a more NYC 2020 story than a business being so busy they can’t keep up with demand and still not making enough money selling grossly overpriced ice cream to rich white people to pay the insanely high rent. LOL. LIC is hilarious, you can look down at your phone walking on Vernon to read a text and by the time you look up all the businesses are different. Anyone trying to open a business here should immediately be committed to Bellevue.
Ned Flanders’s Left Handed Store would have stood a better chance of survival there…. what are these people thinking. The business model sucks and the landlord should be be able to evaluate the business model and see that it is bound to fail. But the landlord got left with a renovated turnkey space …
It’s hard to decide who I feel less sympathy for: the grotesque ripoff ice cream scammers or the grotesquely greedy landlord scammer.
“after an introductory period of free and discounted rent had been applied, the company failed to meet their payments…” yes…another example of a grotesque greedy landlord…wah wah wah
What is so greedy about expecting someone to pay what they agreed to pay via contract? Tenants approach landlords/brokers to rent space. Nobody is chasing tenants to rent space. Tenants come to landlords and work out a deal. Terms are agreed to. Landlords have to pay brokers, lawyers, taxes, water and sewer bills, and insurance along with repairs and other carrying costs. Concessions are given to a new tenant such as free or discounted rent to help get a new tenant up and running.
Additionally, the whole company went under so this closing does not reflect anything about this location or this landlord. They are closing all locations in 5 countries they are in
Four Winters Failing? could see that coming a mile away! What a useless idea for a business! Gonna miss Palace Fried chicken though–that was the chicken shop of the working man, it was extra tasty cuz they used lard in the fryers.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice scream…and for rent to be paid on time!