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PRESENTATION
Introduction of the applicant team and their roles
0:36:56
ยท
123 sec
Max Bookman, an attorney from Pesetsky & Bookman PC, introduces himself and his team for the Le Dive sidewalk cafe application. He presents John Neidich, a founding partner of Golden Age Hospitality (Le Dive's parent company), and Craig Atlas, a managing operating partner for the restaurant.
- Bookman has 10 years of experience in sidewalk cafe applications
- Jon Neidich is described as a New York homegrown success story in the industry
- Craig Atlas is involved in the day-to-day operations of the business
Max Bookman
0:36:56
Yes.
0:36:56
Thank you.
0:36:57
Thank you, chair.
0:36:57
Thank you, council member Marte.
0:36:59
My name is Max Bookman.
0:37:00
I'm an attorney.
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My law firm is Pizzetsky and Bookman PC, and I'm the counsel for the applicant.
0:37:07
With me is John Nydek, and Craig Atlas.
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John is one of the owners and founding partners of Golden Age Hospitality, which owns Ladiv.
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And Craig is one of the partners as well as the managing operating partner for the restaurant eating and drinking establishment.
0:37:27
Thank you again for the opportunity to present testimony to the council today.
0:37:33
Just wanna give a little bit of background first about the team that's here today as well as what the proposal is and then respond to some of the concerns that we that council member Marte has raised.
0:37:46
I've personally been representing businesses before.
0:37:51
Used to be the Department of Consumer Affairs and now the Department of Transportation, in sidewalk cafe, and other commercial uses of the public sidewalk for the last ten years of my legal career.
0:38:01
My firm has been doing it for the last thirty nine years.
0:38:04
I've personally been involved with several hundred, sidewalk cafe applications over that period of time.
0:38:11
We're no stranger to the process and how it works as well as how these city council call ups work, which, of course, were suspended for five years, during the pandemic, but were, a feature of the program, both before, COVID as well as in the new DOT program.
0:38:27
John is, as you heard me say, is a founding partner of Golden Age Hospitality.
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He is a New York homegrown success story.
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He's lived and worked in this industry his entire career.
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He is a fixture of this industry.
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He's he is completely devoted to the restaurants and the bars that he opens.
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He's raising a family here.
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He currently owns about a half dozen bars and restaurants in the city, and he's a very involved owner of his businesses.
0:38:54
And as you heard me say, Craig is is very involved in the day to day operations of the business.