Big gay ice cream uws
Openings & Closings: New York Sports Club; Big Queer Ice Cream; Nai Brother Sauerkraut Fish; EA Dumpling; The Halal Guys; Laina Jane; Goods for the Study; Jacob’s Pickles; Velvet Cowboy; The Flowery
By Scott Etkin and Lisa Kava
The New York Sports Club at 248 West 80th Street (between Broadway and West End Avenue) is closing on March 5th. A message to members cites the reason for the closing as the “property owner’s long-term plans for the building.” A representative wrote in a message to the Rag that “we were unable to come to a long-term agreement on this space with the landlord.” NYSC’s nearest gyms are on West 73rd and West 94th streets. Members can train there if they choose to opt into staying with the club (March dues will be waived, according to the message to members).
WSR readers might remember that this is the matching building, 2331 Broadway, that has been the subject of a legal quarrel between the Zabar and Friedland families, which bought the building together in 1979. Over the past couple of years, Verizon, FedEx, and Canine Styles have moved from the building to nearby locations in the neighborhood. To read the Rag’s coverage of the dispute over t
Big Gay Ice Cream’s UWS Revival is Over
It was a two-and-a-half-year encore for Big Gay Ice Cream at 516 Columbus Avenue and West 85th Avenue. In March 2022, the original owners of the once-super-trendy brand, Doug Quint and Bryan Petroff, were evicted from the location after just two years and plenty of fanfare.
Enter lifelong Upper West Sider and restaurateur Jeremy Wladis—known for reviving beloved eateries like Fred’sand Telio—who purchased a licensing deal from Big Gay Ice Cream and reopened the shop in June 2022. But like its predecessors, the revival was short-lived. Big Same-sex attracted Ice Cream’s Upper West Side shop is officially no more.“The rent was way too elevated to make any money,” said Wladis, president of the TRG Restaurant Team. “You lose cash for five months of the year, then make a couple of dollars the rest—so altogether, it’s a loser. And the landlord wasn’t willing to negotiate at all.”
Before Big Gay melted away, Wladis launched a make-your-own-donut shop called Rainbow Donuts in the matching space in Parade 2023. With an array of toppings—drizzles, sprinkles, and icings—it offered a Willy Wonka-like experience. But the magic didn’t last.
“I hate losing the br
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Cherry Cheesecake Soft-Serve
and
Black Forest Soft-Serve
Available through Thurs, September 8th
Our merchandise is currently under renovation!
We will be back up and running soon!
Our merchandise is currently under renovation!
We will be back up and running soon!
Our merchandise is currently under renovation!
We will be back up and running soon!
Our merchandise is currently under renovation!
We will be back up and running soon!
Big Gay Ice Cream Returns!
Big Homosexual Ice Cream returns to the Upper West Side
Call it an Upper West Side miracle. We reported in March that Great Gay Ice Cream had been served an eviction notice on its shop window at 516 Columbus Ave, on the corner of West 85th Street. Local restaurateur Jeremy Wladis, who also resides on the Upper West Side, just brought it help through a licensing deal. In time for the heat, we took a trip over to check out (re)opening day on Friday.
“So I was thinking, man, seems so cool to have an ice cream shop and I’m a huge ice cream shop lover,” said Wladis, who also owns Good Enough to Eat, a popular brunch spot just steps away at 520 Columbus Ave. “I got 45 people that work there. It’s a difficult business, we cook everything from scratch. And they’re [Big Gay] practically getting $9 a person for ice cream and the person’s in and out,” he explained.
Jeremy Wladis behind the counter at his new shop.
Wladis plans to maintain all the Big Gay favorites while bringing some of his own innovations into the mix.
Wladis, who serves as president of the TRG Restaurant Group, is taking a calculated risk with Big Gay Ice Cream— a brand that began