Papaya King
 | |
 Original Papaya King location, 86th St. and 3rd Ave | |
| Company type | Fast food restaurant |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1932inNew York City |
| Founder | Constantine "Gus" Poulos |
Number of locations | 1 (2018) |
Areas served | New York City |
Papaya Kingis afast foodrestaurant on theUpper East SideofManhattanin New York City.
History
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Papaya King was founded and run for many years by the late Constantine "Gus" Poulos. The original Papaya King was opened in 1932 on the corner of86th StreetandThird Avenueon theUpper East SideofManhattan.[1]Although the restaurant originally only served drinks made from fresh tropical fruits, it soon expanded to servinghot dogsdue to the influence of its neighborhood, which at the time was populated predominantly by German-American immigrants.[2]It also served crispy curly fries, onion rings, fried pickles, fried Oreos, fried Twinkies, tater tots, knishes, cheese steaks and corn dogs.
Gus's son Peter started out managing the family's second store (with seating) at 87th Street and Third Avenue, before taking over the business from his father.[2]In the 1930s, there was also a store inUpper Darby Township, Pennsylvania.During the 1970s, the Pouloses attempted to franchise the restaurant, and one franchise briefly opened in midtown. A company-owned store opened in the 1980s at 59th Street and Third Avenue and closed in the mid-1990s. In 2001, another company-owned store opened inPhiladelphia,this time on the campus of theUniversity of Pennsylvaniaat 40th and Locust Streets; it closed in 2004.[3]In 2006, another attempted franchise opened briefly in the food court atRoosevelt Field MallonLong Island,in Garden City, New York. The Poulos family sold the business in the early 2000s.
Papaya King opened a restaurant at 1645 Wilcox Ave. in Hollywood (Los Angeles) California in 2011, but it had closed by the beginning of 2013. In May 2013, Papaya King opened a concept store onSt. Marks Place,a historical and cultural crossroads in New York City’sEast Villageneighborhood. The store featured a recessed patio area in front, widely referred to as “the stoop,”[4]where customers and locals gathered. The store featured many of the classic elements that characterize the 86th Street location, with additional experiences such as vintage arcade games, a projector screen, a sound system, and branded merchandise. This location closed in November 2017 when the building was sold to a real estate developer.[5]During the summer of 2014, Papaya King opened its first food truck that is parked throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.[6]
In May 2016, Papaya King expanded to Brooklyn and opened a third restaurant on the corner of Nevins Street and Flatbush Avenue inDowntown Brooklyn.This location mirrored the look of the original location in the Upper East Side. At some point during 2017–2018, this restaurant closed.
In 2016, Papaya King started franchising with two locations inLas Vegas.The first opened on November 14, 2016 across from theHard Rock Hotel,and a second 24-hour location opened at the Hawaiian Marketplace in March 2017.[7][8][9]The Las Vegas locations were much larger than the counter-service-only restaurants in New York, and had full liquor licenses and waiter service. It was reported in November 2017, however, that both locations had closed.[10]
In 2022, it emerged that the original 86th and 3rd location was at risk of closure. The building had been purchased byExtell Development Companyand rather than continue taking Papaya King's rent, Extell announced plans to demolish the one-story building, to replace it with ahigh rise.[11] In April 2023 it was announced that Papaya King would reopen in a larger space across the street from the original location, at 1535 Third Avenue, but in January it was announced that a dispute with the new landlord had caused the arrangement to be called off.[12][13]Papaya King reopened on July 6, 2024, at 206 East 86th Street, half a block from its original location.[14]
References
[edit]- ^"About - Papaya King".papayaking.Archived fromthe originalon 3 May 2015.Retrieved19 May2015.
- ^abKleiman, Dena (August 21, 1991)."New York Puts Its Papaya Where Its Hot Dogs Are".The New York Times.RetrievedApril 30,2011.
- ^"Campus Buzz".upenn.edu.Retrieved19 May2015.
- ^"The Approval Matrix - Week of June 3, 2013".New York.26 May 2013.Retrieved19 May2015.
- ^Crowley, Chris (6 November 2017)."The East Village Papaya King Is a Goner".Grub Street.Retrieved9 December2017.
- ^Settembre, Jeanette (18 June 2014)."Papaya King launches its food truck".NY Daily News.Retrieved9 December2017.
- ^Radke, Brock (21 November 2016)."A first taste at Las Vegas' new Papaya King".LasVegasWeekly.Retrieved9 December2017.
- ^Martin, Bradley (15 November 2016)."New York's Papaya King Arrives in Las Vegas".Eater Vegas.Retrieved9 December2017.
- ^Martin, Bradley (20 March 2017)."24-Hour Papaya King Debuts on the Strip".Eater Vegas.Retrieved9 December2017.
- ^Stapleton, Susan (10 November 2017)."New York's Most Famous Hot Dogs OUT in Las Vegas".Eater Vegas.Retrieved9 December2017.
- ^Morales, Christina (July 7, 2022)."Papaya King, a Hot Dog Pioneer on the Upper East Side, Faces a Possible End".The New York Times.New York City.RetrievedJuly 9,2022.
- ^"EXCLUSIVE: Papaya King Saved, Set to Move from Iconic UES Location".Upper East Site.1 April 2023.
- ^McCart, Melissa (8 January 2024)."The Papaya King Comeback Is Over Before it Started".ny.eater.New York City.Retrieved13 March2024.
- ^Euzarraga, Matthew (July 6, 2024)."Iconic NYC hot dog spot Papaya King reopens".PIX11.RetrievedJuly 6,2024.
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External links
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