Russian Tea Room: Traditional Russian Restaurant in NY suffers from customer loss

The Russian Tea Room is a 100-year-old New York City icon that has long attracted locals and tourists alike. In its heyday, the restaurant hosted the likes of choreographer George Balanchine, artist Salvador Dali and composer Leonard Bernstein, and was featured in the films “Tootsie” and “Manhattan”.

It drew crowds who attended concerts at nearby Carnegie Hall, just steps away, or dined there after a Broadway show. But by lunchtime on Thursday, the restaurant was nearly empty, with a handful of customers seated on just two of its 30 or so red leather banquettes.

Despite its name, the “Russian Tea Room” is not at all Russian. It is actually owned by a financial group incorporated in the state of New York. It was opened in 1927 by “white Russian expatriates who fled the Bolsheviks,” according to the restaurant’s website. Since then, it has had a succession of North American owners.

But that hasn’t stopped protesters from boycotting all things Russian, even if it’s just a name and a cuisine. On Thursday, the manager of the Russian Tea Room restaurant and his staff declined to comment upon being visited by a reporter. But the restaurant’s owners are clearly aware that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is hurting their business.

“Founded by refugees with Kiev in their blood, the heart of the Russian Tea Room is with the people of Ukraine, but we are not the story here,” the owners said in a statement sent to Ukraine. CNN. “Russia has gotten away with mass murder for a long time and the focus must remain on those who suffer and die in Ukraine.”

A similar statement was posted on the restaurant’s website, which included the colors of the Ukrainian flag with the words “Solidarity with Ukraine” emblazoned on it. “We are against Putin and with the people of Ukraine.”

The atmosphere is very different on New York’s Lower East Side, where crowds line up to eat at Ukrainian restaurant Veselka. In just one week, its traffic has increased by as much as 75%, said owner Jason Birchard, who added that his place has become a rallying point for the beleaguered nation.

Veselka – the word means rainbow in Ukrainian – is donating the profits from its sales of borscht, a traditional Ukrainian beetroot soup, to an NGO called Razom for Ukraine, which is working to deliver medical supplies and equipment to the country. The restaurant raised $10,000 in the first week and expects another $15,000 in the second, according to Bichard.

It is also accepting supplies of bandages, batteries, lighthouses, as well as water purification tablets and clothing at its location. “Donate what you can and we’ll take care of the rest,” reads the restaurant’s website.

Boycotts extend far beyond New York City. States such as Ohio, Oregon and Utah in the United States are boycotting Russian-made vodka, although it represents only a fraction of the vodka imported into the US. (On Friday, the maker of Stolichnaya vodka announced that it was renaming itself as Stoli and pointed out that it is owned by a Luxembourg conglomerate and produced in Latvia.)

The hashtag #BoycottLukoil is trending on social media, urging people not to sponsor the Russian oil giant’s gas stations. However, Lukoil, Russia’s second-largest oil company, released a statement that said it was “demanding a quicker end to the armed conflict”.

London-listed Lukoil shares lost about 99% of their value after the invasion. Trading in the company’s shares was suspended on Thursday.
Bichard, owner of Veselka, said he expects more solidarity than division during this crisis. “We are living in crazy times. I am upset and angry at what is happening,” Birchard said, “but I have nothing against the Russian people.”

See images of anti-war protests in Ukraine around the world