With 1.9 million Twitter followers and over 650,000 of his gang on Instagram, Andrew Yang is hot property when it comes to marketing Hell’s Kitchen’s eateries out of pandemic trauma.
Yesterday, Andrew took to the streets to review ViVi Bubble Tea on 9th Avenue (between W43/44th Street). He tasted their matcha and red bean with boba, saying: “It hit the spot”, was “delicious” and made him “very happy”!
If you doubt Yang’s neighborhood foodie credentials, when W42ST created a discount card for readers back in 2017, he was our no.9 KTCHCRD holder!
We’ve decided to keep track of Andrew Yang’s Hell’s Kitchen eating habits (or at least what he publishes on social media) as he continues his run for the City’s top job. Here’s what we know so far…
Back in December (before Yang had announced his run for Mayor), we reported on the first employee on his presidential campaign, Muhan Zhang, who revealed Yang’s love of food — he namechecked a whole raft of neighborhood eateries!
“The beginning of the campaign was extremely intimate and human. Every time we had one of Yang’s friends come to visit, or met up with a potential teammate, we’d often take them to a local Yang restaurant favorite. Real Kung Fu Steamed Buns and Dumplings on 49th and 8th was a classic, as Yang reminded us that it was “Michelin Star” on an affordable budget,” recalled Zhang. “The order was more or less the same, every time: soup dumplings, scallion pancakes with beef, and house fried noodles for everyone to share. Other go-to food spots from the Golden Days, when we’d go out to lunch as a team 3-4 times a week, include Schmackary’s in Hell’s Kitchen, Totto Ramen, Ippudo Ramen, Otto’s Tacos, City Kitchen’s Ramen, and Lucky’s Famous Burgers. Yang has always been a foodie and set the precedent for our collective fattening on the Yang2020 campaign.”
Since then, Yang shared with Grub Street in February his local eating habits, including Shake Shack and Sushi on Jones at Gotham West Market. He gave a shout-out for Totto Ramen and Tim Ho Wan again — and added Hell’s Kitchen favorite (and W42ST Best of Awards winner), Empanada Mama, to the list. He’s a big fan of Mémé — which has also featured on his Twitter feed and as a venue for interviews with journalists.
He’s given shout-outs to Turkish Cuisine and La Palapa Taco Bar on Twitter too.
You might have seen that he featured a visit to Amy’s Bread in his campaign video. That’s not just a PR stunt — he went on his first date with his now wife, Evelyn, at Amy’s on 9th Avenue!
Come back for updates…