B&H Dairy may close due to pandemic, launches new GoFundMe

B&H Dairy, the iconic East Village restaurant which has been serving affordable kosher vegetarian food since 1938, has, like a lot of places, had a rough go of it during the pandemic. In addition to the downtick in business, B&H was robbed right before Thanksgiving.

With this week’s reinstatement of the indoor dining ban, they’ve just launched a second GoFundMe campaign to help them survive the winter and the pandemic. They’re already a third of the way towards their $50,000 goal.

Here’s more from the GoFundMe:

We have tried everything we can to avoid having to close. We have worked with city agencies like Small Business Services, and contacted our city council representative. They have been helpful, but can only do so much.

After neighbors complained, we were forced to tear down two seating shelters and just built a third in order to be in compliance with the outdoor seating guidelines. But the current shelter is basically just a tent with some wood sides. It will not protect customers from snow and rain, and when it does snow, we must take in the tent and all outdoor seating for safety reasons. We can no longer serve any customers at the restaurant. Even when we could it was only two tables.

We have been using delivery apps, which we never used before because they take nearly 30% of the payment for every order. Even when we are busy with delivery, it is not enough business to give us hope.

We ran a previous GoFundMe campaign in the Spring, but it was quickly exhausted by rent and utilities. Throughout the Spring campaign, we always made sure our employees were paid first and we will continue to make sure our employees get paid. Funds from this GoFundMe will go to strictly to pay rent, utilities, basically keep the doors open and the lights on.

And there are unexpected expenses. Just this week we found we had to do extensive electrical work, replacing old equipment, or fail the inspection. This alone came to almost $15,000.

This is an ongoing campaign and will remain live until we know we will survive the pandemic.

Donations are, of course, voluntary. If you wish to donate, please do. You have no idea how greatly it will be appreciated. If you’ve previously donated, thank you! Trust that your money was put to good use.

This time, we are not offering merchandise and gift certificates in return for donations, as we did in the Spring, as every dollar from every donation must go to saving B&H. If you wish to purchase merchandise or gift certificates, please contact us using the email button below.

We love B&H with our heart and soul. The restaurant is our life and family, not just for myself and Fawzy, but for all of the employees, some, like Leo who have been with us for over 30 years.

You can watch a video of co-owner Ola Abdelwahed explaining their situation below.