Rent

Enormous Rent Hike May Close Big Nick’s on the UWS

Big Nick's is open 24 hours a day.
Big Nick’s is open 24 hours a day. Photo: Shanna Ravindra

A $20,000-per-month rent increase may force Nick Imirziades to close his well-loved, memento-filled Big Nick’s Burger and Pizza Joint at Broadway and West 77th Street, West Side Rag reports. The restaurant, which is open 24 hours a day and is known for its 27-page menu, boasts an assortment of sacred clutter, framed portraits, thin-crust pizza, and its one-pound, signature “Sumo” burger, which is served on a Kaiser roll. Imirziades posted news about his latest round of rent negotiations on the restaurant’s Facebook page to inform his longtime customers of a potentially rocky road ahead, but says he did not intend to “go public” with the news of a possible closure. The 1,000-square-foot restaurant space and two neighboring retail spaces are being offered as one parcel in a new commercial real estate listing that boasts “unparalleled Broadway frontage,” which is fine, but a total dealbreaker if that means no more Sumo burgers. [West Side Rag]

Enormous Rent Hike May Close Big Nick’s on the UWS