Butterfield Market on Lexington Avenue.Photo courtesy of Butterfield
From the Queen's Post News Team, April 25, 2024
Upper East Side upscale grocer Butterfield Market plans to open a new store in Long Island City next year. The store will operate retail space and a 9,000 square foot commissary kitchen.
Butterfield Market currently operates stores on the Upper East Side at Madison Avenue and Lexington Avenue, but will open a third location on April 29th at 5 p.m.th The company plans to open Avenue early next year, marking its first expansion outside of Manhattan.
Butterfield CEO Evan Obsatz said the company will expand its catering operations to Long Island City next January. Currently, business is limited to the Upper East Side and Upper West Side.
Founded in 1915, Butterfield Market has been owned by the Obsatz family for 50 years. We offer a wide variety of freshly prepared, seasonal meals including pasta, soups, sandwiches, tacos and salads. We also have a wide selection of pastries, fresh pressed juices and frozen yogurt.
The team behind Butterfield (left to right): Evan Obsatz, CEO; Anne Ofsatz (his mother). Joelle Obsatz (Chief Marketing Officer); and Alan Obsatz (father, former owner).Photo courtesy of Butterfield
Obsatz said the company expanded into LIC to meet growing demand for its products, adding that finding space large enough for a commissary kitchen on the Upper East Side is nearly impossible. .
He said the company signed a lease for the space last November and has spent the past five months planning and designing the new kitchen and retail store, with construction expected to begin in June. .
Obsatz added that there are several challenges to overcome before the LIC store opens, including the logistics of moving products across the Queensboro Bridge to the two Upper East Side stores before morning traffic jams.
Butterfield will bring about 60 to 70 employees from its existing locations to the new space in Queens. The new store will also employ an additional 20 staff, including delivery drivers and kitchen staff.
Obsatz said expanding into Queens is also a personal experience, citing many family connections to the borough.
He said his mother was born and raised in Flushing, and his great-grandparents owned a market in Middle Village. He recalled traveling to Queens every Sunday for dinner with his family, and said being able to expand his company to Queens was an added bonus.
“It's amazing. My mom is so excited. It's really amazing,” Obsatz said. “I have many fond memories of Queens. My first job out of college was there. I also remember going to my grandparents' house every Sunday and going to an old Italian restaurant that no longer exists. .”
Obsatz's grandfather bought Butterfield Market in 1974, before the era of major supermarket chains, and the store was converted into an upscale grocery store in 1990 to differentiate it from the many chains operating in the city. He added that the store still maintains a community spirit, and said he hopes to bring that community involvement to Long Island City when the new store opens next January.
“Our business has 10 guiding principles, and one of them is to be an active member of the community,” Obsatz said. “We will definitely provide some assistance.”
LIC's expansion is a change of direction for Butterfield and Obsatz, which has resisted the urge to expand its operations to maintain the quality of its products.
“Over the past 10 to 15 years, we've invested in really great people and focused on delivering great food,” Obsatz said. “What really sets us apart is our prepared food and its quality.
Catering food.Photo courtesy of Butterfield
“We have a seasonal menu and it changes all the time. We strive to get the highest quality ingredients. All of these big chains get so big that it becomes difficult to maintain quality. This is really paying off because we're at a stage where, for example, if a store is making 100 gallons of soup, it's difficult to ensure that the quality is maintained.
“We strive to maintain [Butterfield] It's small enough that you won't run into such problems. ”
He added that he did not believe the LIC expansion would threaten the quality of food produced at Butterfield.
“We're probably looking at opening one or two more stores, but we're certainly not trying to go worldwide. We want to go to each location and get everyone's name. Masu.”
He described Butterfield Market as a family-owned business focused on long-term development, adding that the company aims to continually improve its Long Island City location over the next 20-plus years.
Butterfield Market is deeply involved in several community projects on the Upper East Side. We develop relationships with local schools and school districts and provide catering for monthly community council meetings.
Obsatz said he hopes to build similar connections in Long Island City, adding that Butterfield Market's small size allows it to maintain and develop those connections.
“When you’re scattered all over the city, you lose the personal touch.”
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