You might call it a caffeine blast from the past.
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The Chock Full o'Nuts lunch counters from the 1970s, which originally spawned the coffee brand, are making a comeback in the city. The chain's first new location, on 23rd Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues, opened last week.
Previously a household name in New York City, the company's counters slowly disappeared from the grid almost three decades ago due to growing competition from startups like McDonalds.
"Coffee had really fallen out of favor with people," said Marc Harpin, director of operations for the new store. "At that point in time, the company decided to focus on the retail side."
Since the first revived location opened last week, business has been booming. "In the first two or three days, we sold somewhere in the range of 2,000 doughnuts, and it's all made fresh downstairs," Harpin said.
Customers can purchase whole wheat doughnuts ($0.99 for two) and a regular house blend coffee ($1.55) to-go or for a sit-down meal.
As for outside competition from other staple coffee shops in the area, Bruno said Chock Full o'Nuts separates itself from them.
"This is New York," Bruno said. "Starbucks is from Seattle. We are retro, and retro is new. I don't ever see us saying we are competing with Starbucks. We're different. We have a good value at reasonable prices."
Joe Vega, a fan of the stores, who lives a block away, said, "I used to come here when it was open before. Between this and Eataly, these will become regulars."
But there is also a significant draw for students.
"If students come in and try the food, they will be extremely impressed by the offerings," Harpin said. "The menu is definitely of value for the portions you receive."
And although the 23rd Street location may be a bit far for most NYU students, they may have more accessibility to the former New York City staple in the near future.
"There used to be 100 [branches] in the '50s and '60s," Bruno said. "We'd like to get those levels back."
