Opening of GREAT PERFORMANCES Headquarters Signals Recovery for NYC's Hospitality Industry and the Bronx

Great Performances, New York City's esteemed catering and events company, took up residence in its new 51,000 sq. ft. headquarters in the South Bronx's Bruckner Building at 2417 Third Avenue on May 4,2021. The company's move into the space occupying two-and-a-half full floors of the former factory building, which was built out at a cost of $7 million, comes more than a year after Great Performances (GP) vacated its much smaller Hudson Square campus in July 2019. Since then, GP has been operating out of alternate office space in the Bruckner Building and a temporary kitchen the company built in a warehouse nearby on Park Ave.

The occasion, a bright beacon shedding a confident light on the future of the city's hospitality industry decimated by the pandemic, was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by New York State and Bronx officials followed by a tour of the facility, which boasts a state-of-the art 19,000 sq. ft. kitchen, three times larger than its Manhattan predecessor. Attendees included: Lieutenant Governor of New York Kathy Hochul; U.S. and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

The massive kitchen, one of the city's larger and arguably the most advanced, is loaded with cutting-edge top-of-the line equipment. It is the centerpiece of the complex., which also includes: a separate pastry kitchen; warehouse; purchasing department; design studio; training space; support offices; and The Sylvia Center, a nonprofit dedicated to teaching youth the connection between food and health. With double the amount of cooking capacity and refrigeration than GP's former kitchen, it is particularly distinguished by an extremely efficient temperature-controlled flow of goods, assuring the integrity and safety of all food production.

A $1 million Empire State Development Grant was awarded to GP by The New York City Regional Economic Development Council to cover a portion of kitchen's equipment costs, in exchange for 181 new jobs in The Bronx.

Empire State Development Acting Commissioner and President & CEO-designate said, "Supporting successful and creative companies like Great Performances will be critical to building back the New York City economy as we recover from the COVID-19 crisis. This new headquarters in The Bronx will allow Great Performances to grow, provide needed jobs and contribute to the South Bronx community and beyond."

"Setting up shop in this new space opens an exciting new chapter in our 40-year history," noted GP's Founder and Chair Liz Neumark. "It represents a serious investment, not only financial, but intellectual and emotional as well, in our future, that of The Bronx and of the city's hospitality sector as a whole. This complex will enable us to maximize the potential of some of the new initiatives we undertook during the pandemic and to recuperate from the effects of the crisis, while providing mechanisms to take our core catering and events business to a new level."

Being in the new space means GP will be more than ready to accommodate the demand for catering and events services as Covid-driven restrictions ease in the tri-state area. The expectation is that the new normal events landscape will not materialize until September (summer is always slow); however, GP has 27 weddings on the books from May through October with an average guest count of 137, with another 27 weddings pending confirmation, which puts GP on track to beat 2019's nuptials number during the same time period known as "wedding season." In addition, GP is doing an intimate donor appreciation event, featuring Colin Cowie and Eric Ripert, for City Harvest in May and the Roundabout Theatre's gala for 300 guests in June, which will be the first event on that scale for the company mid-March last year.

"As we rebuild for the post-pandemic future, New York remains committed to leveling the playing field and breaking down barriers for women and minority-owned businesses," said Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul. "Investments in business like Great Performances' is helping us reach this goal, while ensuring inclusive growth, job creation and success in the Bronx and New York City."

Like so many companies, GP pivoted in the face of the pandemic-prompted shut down last March. Within days, the temporary kitchen was re-tooled for packaged meal production and GP started preparing and delivering 40,000 meals a week to the city's elderly. GP also partnered with The Sylvia Center to raise funds to provide nourishment for health care workers on the front lines, which resulted in the production and delivery of 120,000 meals to 22 hospitals in New York City, Northern New Jersey and Westchester County.

"Great Performances' new headquarters is bringing renewal and hope to New York's world-class hospitality industry and back to the Bronx after the toll COVID-19 has taken on the city's economy and service industries," said U.S. Congressman Ritchie Torres. "I am encouraged by the newfound success hospitality companies are experiencing as we start to emerge out of the pandemic, and I look forward to welcoming employers like Great Performances to the South Bronx to revitalize and diversify our community's economy."

"Economic development is the answer to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. "I am glad Great Performances (GP) was able to find residency in one of the many booming parts of The Bronx. As an Ex-Officio member of the Regional Economic Development Council, it is good to know the money that was awarded through the ESD Capital Grant was able to produce 181 new jobs in the borough. During the pandemic, I saw GP on the front line ensuring that our residents had nutritious and warm food to eat through New York City's emergency food program. We are grateful that GP hit the ground running upon arrival and will now call The Bronx, home," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Founded in 1980 as an event waitress service for women in the arts who wanted a flexible way to supplement their income, GP has grown into one of the country's leading catering and events companies. In addition to working with partners like the Plaza Hotel, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Brooklyn Museum, the Apollo Theater, and Wave Hill, Great Performances promotes sustainable food practices through its organic farm in Upstate New York and offers emerging artist scholarships to service staff.

For more information on Great Performances, please visit https://www.greatperformances.com/.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Great Performances

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