🧵 1/2 The NYC Hospitality Alliance and the Queens Chamber of Commerce brought together local restaurant and bar owners to discuss regulatory challenges affecting our industry and explore new business opportunities in the World’s Borough!
Thank you New York Daily News for including my opinion piece in today’s newspaper
Snippet:
“We talk a lot about workforce development, wages, and economic opportunity. But if we don’t create an environment where businesses can start, invest, and provide livable wages, you can’t have a strong, growing, and worker-centric economy”
READ FULL ARTICLE HERE: ⬇️⬇️⬇️
https://t.co/zPNqqKteoz
You know restaurants pay for the water right?
The rent so you have a place to drink the water, the staff to bring the water, the electric so you don’t drink the water in the dark, the cup so you have something to drink it in.
But restaurants give away free water in hopes you don’t come in and say “Just water please. I’m just here for a meeting with someone”
Support restaurants. Get your water and get lunch, dinner and a delicious recommended beverage with it. Then everyone wins.
In 7 days we created, launched & completed the Small Business Safety Summit at @Neirstavern
WHY?
Small business owners shouldn’t double duty as crime fighters, detectives or investigators.
It’s hard enough to achieve sustainable sales while struggling with rising operating costs.
Small businesses are at an inflection point.
What happens now is largely dependent on how the leaders take action beyond words to help relieve the unsustainable economic pressures, retail crime wave, and pressures small business owners have to deal with daily.
We’re grateful for the amazing community based organizations, nyc agencies and business owners who showed up to share best practices and experiences dealing with crime to their businesses.
We need
1-Better funding for New York City Police Department so when crimes happens we have faster response times or provide funds to BIDs to hire security firms if NYPD resources are not available and their is an uptick in crime in the area.
2-We need proactive solutions such as a Business Amber Alert System for Local Businesses-when crime happens to small business owners within a few miles, business owners are alerted with pictures and details of the assailant.
3-Thorough investigation every time an alarm is triggered, not only a drive by. Fund the FUSUS system.
Thank you to our media based partners
PIX11
NBC New York
and Paulina Albarracin of Schneps Media who helped me break the news.
Thank you
NYC Office Of Nightlife
NYC small business services
NYC Hospitality Alliance
Rachel Kellner of Aigner Chocolates ,
And founder of Metro Village of Forest Hills,
NYS Senator Joe Addabbo
Empire Security & Protection LLC
Queens Community Board 9
Woodhaven Residents Block Association
dexter wines
Queens Together
nypd for your continued support and trying to find these criminals that still has not been caught.
I have a dream that every borough in this city has their UNIQUE version of Time Square.
A decentralized system of entertainment and economic hubs that drive tourism for every corner of this city.
I’m proud to announce (COMING SOON) our first global tourism deal with the oldest tour operator in North America to bring tourist from across the the planet to Historic @Neirstavern - NYC’s oldest tavern located in the amazing borough of Queens.
Honored to be spotlighted throughout the evening for @nyctourism annual meeting of nearly 1,000 tourism professionals to represent THE WORLD’S BOROUGH- QUEENS, NYC alongside Queens Borough President @DRichardsQNS
Thank you @AndrewRigie for the opportunity to serve on the executive board of @theNYCalliance to represent thousands of small businesses throughout this city.
Thank you Julie Coker @JulieCokerSD for your leadership. After a year and a half I can feel the change already.
Thank you @NYCMayor for your support of tourism- one of the biggest economic drivers in this city.
Silence allows more violence.
That’s why I’ll be on nbc 11p news to share The Small Business Safety summit March 21 10am at Neir’s Tavern
Invite all your favorite business owners to attend
We must stand together
My first instinct was to keep it private.
As a business owner You worry that if people hear about an attempted break-in, they’ll be afraid to visit.
You worry that less people visiting and rising costs and crime will finally win.
But if we remain silent criminals win. So I am sharing it to help others.
On March 4th, Neir’s Tavern was targeted in a brazen attempted burglary.
After a 25-minute attempt they finally triggered the alarm once the door was nearly broken apart.
The cost to fix the damages and upgrade to a modern video security system is over $7,000
This isn’t just about one historic tavern; it’s about so much hitting every small business in Queens: rising costs on one side, and crime on the other.
We are not staying silent.
Invite your favorite small business owner and Join me on March 21st at 10:00 AM for the Small Business Safety Summit.
We’re bringing the NYPD, Community Board 9, Woodhaven BID, and local leaders to the table to coordinate real safety strategies for our neighborhood.
Where: Neir’s Tavern (87-48 78th St, Woodhaven)
When: Saturday, March 21 | 10:00 AM SHARP
RSVP Required:
visit:
https://t.co/lBiZhVDblr
Capacity is strictly limited. Small business owners will be prioritized. Let’s protect the backbone of Woodhaven together.
Visit QNS for full videos and story.
After all is said and done, your visit to Neir’s Tavern during these times are not taken lightly. You are the life blood.
#NeirsTavern #CommunityCEO #Woodhaven #QueensSmallBusiness
Honored to join New York’s Business Blueprint: Cutting Red Tape panel with leaders focused on one thing: making it easier to operate, hire, and invest in New York.
My operator takeaway is bureaucracy is a hidden tax and the fastest way to strengthen our economy is speed, clarity and aligned rules across agencies.
Thank you to
*Jeanette Moy (Commissioner, NYS Office of General Services )
*Heather Mulligan (President & CEO, The Business Council of New York State, Inc.)
*Ryan Silva (Executive Director, NYS Department of Economic Development) and
*The Public Policy Institute of NYS for convening a serious, solutions-driven conversation.
Grateful to Emma Pfohman (Association for a Better New York (ABNY)) for moderating, and to my fellow panelists
*Kenny Burgos (NY Apartment Association)
*Jim Malatras (The Fedcap Group ), and Julie Samuels (TechNYC )
Real progress is practical. reduce duplication, publish timelines, and support implementation so Main Street can keep creating jobs and keeping neighborhoods strong.
If we do this then Historic Neir's Tavern Road to 200 years #2029 will be a lot less rocky.
@BusinessNYS@NYSEDC@NYS_OGS@ABetterNY
And thats a wrap. It’s an honor to serve as an Executive Board member of @theNYCalliance representing thousands of small NYC restaurants
The largest hospitality party of the year attracted upwards of 1,000 hospitality professionals for an evening to let loose and party together as a community.
This has been an amazing journey to have met so many inspiring individuals.
Community Conquers All
-Loycent
Before she was a legend, she was a pioneer. Julia Neir didn’t just co-own @NeirsTavern for 65 years starting in 1898—she did it in an era when women in the "bar business" were almost unheard of. 🥂
Today we raise a glass to the original "Lady Proprietor." #IWD2026#QueensHistory