Sesamo is Italian with an Asian twist, but for the past six weeks, they have had to slim down the menu and pivot to a prix fixe format after a routine Con Edison inspection found a gas leak. Their landlord fixed that within days, but they were then told there is not enough gas for the restaurant and the eight apartments above it, so the gas has not been turned back on.
"A lot of stress and dedication, I'd say," said Co-Owner and Chef Nikita Levitan.
Sesamo used to have 16 burners to feed 140 customers. Now, they are just using three hot plates.
Revenue, meanwhile, has taken a hit.
Sabrina Gao is the chef's wife and co-owner, and also the restaurant's sommelier.
"It's our life savings. We started our American dream. And we started up after Covid, so you know that was a challenge, and then we finally overcame that. And then building this, so you know all sorts of price increases, labor cost, everything going up. All those challenges, we overcame one after another. We built a really good community here. People love our food. We finally were growing right, and then this boom, like a big punch in the gut," Gao said.
She says the landlord's plumber says he is waiting on Con Ed to tell him what the utility needs from him.
Con Ed says it is waiting to hear from the plumber. A meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday to help clear up the confusion.
"We're doing our best to survive. It's been very challenging for sure," Gao adds.
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