Reopenings

Le Souk Owner Marcus Jacob Just Wants to Be Loved

Photo: Yun Cee Ng

EV Grieve notices that Le Souk has put some furniture on the sidewalk and revives rumors that the club is moving to the Horus space on LaGuardia, but when we talked to owner Marcus Jacob a couple of weeks ago, he clarified that he has no involvement in the LaGuardia space and it’s his brother Sam (a longtime Le Souk manager) who’s taking over there. Jacob told us he planned to appear before the CB in hopes of reopening on Avenue B now that the SLA’s revocation of his liquor license has been overturned by the Supreme Court. He plans to argue that Le Souk’s noise and crowd problems are “a traffic issue more than anything else.” Avenue B is too narrow to be a two-way street, he believes, and the problem was exacerbated when construction on Houston Street sent traffic to East 4th Street. Jacob, who lives above the restaurant, says that although he hasn’t gotten a great response from CB members (“they just turn their face away every time I even try to say hello. How you can approach someone who won’t even talk to you?”), he’s now on good terms with the East 4th Street block association. “All we’re asking for is to start a new page and work together as a business and residents. It doesn’t seem like the city of New York supports small businesses anymore.” Jacob says he’d be hesitant to accept earlier closing hours, since his customers tend to dine after 9 p.m., and should anyone doubt he’s operating a legitimate restaurant, he says he’s willing to show receipts that show his food costs are about $40,000 to $45,000 per month. So there!

Le Souk Owner Marcus Jacob Just Wants to Be Loved