By Siddharth Cavale and Waylon Cunningham
NEW YORK (Reuters) -Representatives of New York City’s bodegas, grocers and restaurants said on Wednesday they hope New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani spends less time going after President Donald Trump and focuses on his promises to make the city more affordable.
Mamdani, 34, a democratic socialist, won a hotly contested race that drew nationwide attention. He won over younger voters with his campaign centered around affordability, including promises to freeze rent and raise taxes on the rich. But his proposals raised alarm among the city’s business community, worried about reduced economic growth and erosion in its tax base.
In his victory address, Mamdani took aim at Trump, who has threatened to send the U.S. National Guard to the city and step up immigration enforcement.
Frank Marte, president of the Bodegas and Small Business Group in New York City, which represents 3,000 bodegas, hairdressers and other small businesses, said he fears escalating tensions with Trump could lead to federal retaliation.
“He is speaking about confrontation with Trump, which he won’t win. The city or the people of New York, they will suffer,” Marte said.
Some business owners were concerned about his plan to open one city-owned grocery store in each borough to offer residents wholesale prices.
“The government does not know how to run a store,” said David Schwartz, director of the New York Association of Grocery Stores, noting challenges in hiring workers and catering to customer preferences.
Mamdani’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Early in his campaign, Mamdani posted a popular video on social media arguing the city is suffering from “Halalflation,” with the high cost of food ingredients forcing the owners of the city’s ubiquitous food trucks to charge more for items like chicken over rice.
Hakki Akdeniz, the owner of steakhouse Essex NYC and more than 20 other restaurants, said he hoped Mamdani would prioritize homelessness and the hungry, noting his own experience as “a homeless immigrant who came to New York without knowing any English.”
Andrew Rigie, executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, which represents restaurants and nightlife establishments, asked Mamdani to focus on improving affordability by involving small business experts, cutting red tape and reducing fines.
John Catsimatidis, the billionaire owner of New York supermarket chains Gristedes and D’Agostino, told Reuters he plans to “lighten” about 20% to 25% of his $1 billion real estate holdings in the city after Mamdani’s win, including selling many Gristedes stores and other properties.
“As a New Yorker for 70 years, I am very concerned that socialism will take over,” he said.
Keith McNally, owner of Balthazar, a French brasserie in Manhattan’s SoHo neighborhood, praised Mamdani in an Instagram post, saying he would “happily pay more taxes so all the people in New York can afford to live here and have a decent, healthy life.”
(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale and Waylon Cunningham in New York; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)
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