BY YANNIC RACK | After making a home in the East Village and opening an outpost near Times Square, Larry Kramer and James Cruickshank, the co-owners of Whitmans, didn’t have to think hard about where to expand their popular burger restaurant next — it had to be Hudson Yards.
“We were always looking to expand, and with Hudson Yards opening up for business, it was more enticing for us than anything else,” Kramer said.
Back in 2010, when the original Whitmans opened on E. Ninth St., he added, the restaurateurs would have never pictured opening a location on the far West Side.
“But when we went over there and saw the developments, and how they’re transforming West Chelsea and specifically Tenth Ave. into a hub,” he said, “that’s what really excited us.”
The pair’s original small sit-down restaurant quickly became a local favorite, and last year they started serving up its regional creations at a quick-serve kiosk in the Row NYC hotel on W. 44th St. as well.
Now, Kramer and Cruickshank have signed a 10-year lease for what will be their biggest location yet, in the Abington House on The High Line, the luxury rental building at 500 W. 30th St. built by Related Companies — also, not coincidentally, the developer of the mega-project right across the street, where the commercial tower at 10 Hudson Yards just topped out.
“Whitmans will quickly become a beloved local amenity, not only for Abington House residents but for the many new employees arriving at Hudson Yards this year,” said Benjamin Joseph, senior vice president at Related.
The new Whitmans, set to open in September, will cover around 1,700 square feet and seat 50 people, with 12 more at the bar — almost twice the size of the East Village establishment, which means the offerings will also increase.
“This will be a much bigger space. At the East Village, we can only do a little over 30 people,” said Kramer.
“We’re going to have more of an expanded menu. We plan on serving breakfast, lunch and dinner there — whereas, in the East Village, we just do breakfast four days a week.”
Even though Whitmans already serves a selection of rotating local brews and wines, those looking for more of a kick with their beef will also benefit from an expanded drink menu, courtesy of the State Liquor Authority.
“We’re still pushing our local craft beer and wine, but having the enhancement of a full liquor [license] is great as well,” said Kramer. “It will be an added element.”
And of course Kramer and Cruickshank are aware that Hudson Yards will itself become a formidable foodie magnet, complete with celebrity chefs.
The Shops and Restaurants at Hudson Yards, the project’s seven-story retail and restaurant temple, will include a steakhouse and American grill by Thomas Keller, as well as eateries from both José Andrés and Costas Spiliadis.
“I think food is now an element for many things — it’s a destination for retail, and it’s also a destination for people to rent and live, knowing that they have food in their building or their neighborhood,” said Kramer. “And there will be a lot of food.”
Residents of the Abington House, which opened two years ago, will soon find themselves digging into Whitmans’ specialty burgers — like the Juicy Lucy, a combination of two thin beef patties surrounding a scoop of pimento cheddar to create a molten core of cheese. But the move to the neighborhood will likely start to really pay off for the restaurant over the next few years.
By then, the tower will be joined by a whole new skyline of rental, office and commercial buildings — Hudson Yards’ 16 buildings alone are expected to accommodate 125,000 residents, visitors and workers every day, not considering the countless other skyscrapers sprouting up all around.
Other amenities are on the way as well: In addition to the already opened 7 Subway line extension and the partially unveiled park north of the neighborhood, the Hudson Yards development will also boast 14 acres of public open space and a 750-seat public school.
“We might be ahead of our time, before people move in, but we like that,” Kramer said.
“The neighborhood is just starting to build up and evolve, so we’re excited to be one of the first people to be in there and create a local place — kind of like what our East Village location is.”
For more info, visit whitmansnyc.com.
