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Little Owlis not Central Perk.
Now, he estimates he deals with 1,000, maybe more tourists standing at that corner every single day.
He has a great David Schwimmer story, too.
Were you aware of the history of this street corner when you leased the property?Not at all.
I had no idea why hundreds and hundreds of people were gathering on that corner.
The owner of the French restaurant that was here beforehand also didnt know.
I had to eavesdrop on a tour group and figure out what it was.
No red flags came up when I was researching the building.
Any open violations, things like that.
It was a Wednesday morning and there had to be 400 people on that corner.
I just didnt understand.
I mean, we sell $5 cups of coffee on the menu, and theyre not to-go.
We have to pay the West Village rent.
The restaurant is reserved for people who want to eat.
The economics of it all is you have to pay the rent.
Not one tourist has come in here expecting to hear that very realistic news.
Theyre looking for that orange couch.
A few stories of bad behavior stick out, though.
It was for me, not Joey Tribbiani.
He didnt know theFriendsconnection either, I think.
People had the audacity to come in and ask for Sharpies.
Ultimately, I felt like I was responsible for it and I had to remove it all.
You know that bridge in Paris with all of those locks?
It was just like that.
Theres no demographic to it, either.
Its people in their sixties to little kids.
Ive been called stupid.
The repetitiveness is expected at this point.
I sense it in the staff, too.
Were in a hospitality-driven business and to say no over and over andoveragain is taxing.
Do you includeFriends-related scenarios in your staff training?No, not specifically.
I cant control what they do behind closed doors.
Have you ever thought about really capitalizing on your location forFriendsfans?
Like, themed dinners?Ive never decided to capitalize in the strongest sense of the word.
The only thing Ive done, occasionally, was sellcoffee mugswith a picture of the building on it.
I sell them with permission from the landlord.
Thats not totally specific toFriends,though.
He was sitting right by the front window a super-visible spot to anyone passing by.
I offered to move his seat and he looked at me like I was crazy.
Once he saw 100 people walk to the corner, he took me up on my offer.
His immediate switch from bewilderment to appreciation was amusing.
I took the risk of pissing him off to protect him!
He hasnt been back since.
Do you see yourself at this location indefinitely?Thats my plan.
I dont want to go anywhere.
