Restaurateur George Motz is about to hit a milestone. The filmmaker-turned-burger historian behind Hamburger America — the retro diner and living archive of regional American burger styles that opened in Soho in 2023 — is expected to serve its one-millionth patty sometime in the next week or so. To mark the milestone, Motz plans to give the customer who orders that burger free food for a year, while everyone else in the room at the moment gets a free treat, according to a spokesperson.
A new spot for Paulie Gee’s
According to EV Grieve, NYC pizzeria chain Paulie Gee’s looks to be headed to the East Village, taking over the former Dunkin’ space at 100 First Avenue at Sixth Street — reportedly as a slice shop, which would mark its first Manhattan outpost. The Greenpoint original had been a destination for wood-fired pies since 2010, with spin-offs in Chicago, Columbus, and beyond; it’s currently closed and will be turned into a tavern with pizza, not from founder Paul Giannone, but it’s under the Brooklyn dive bar team that runs places like Skinny Dennis, Rocka Rolla, and Lucky Dog. This opening would bring one of Brooklyn’s most enduring pizza names into a competitive pizza landscape.
A new report alleges delivery workers were shorted millions
City regulators allege DoorDash and Uber Eats manipulated their apps to bury tipping prompts, costing NYC delivery workers an estimated $550 million in lost gratuities, Gothamist reports. The findings are part of a report from the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, which says that the third-party delivery app giants retaliated against minimum wage rules for delivery drivers “by implementing “design tricks” that obscure opportunities to offer a tip in their mobile apps.”
Hamburger expert George Motz serves one of the most talked-about-burgers in town. He teamed up with the team behind Schnipper’s to open this sunny yellow luncheonette. Beyond the smash burger and Motz Burger (with fried onions), there’s an egg salad sandwich, a hot ham sandwich, and the off-menu Chester (patty melt), as well as pie slices and chocolate chip cookies. If you want to sit for a more leisurely lunch at the counter as opposed to a faster meal, wait at the door versus heading up to the register to order.