Whynot Coffee Opens Its Gallery-Cafe at 175 Orchard Street
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Whynot Coffee’s Lower East Side sibling officially opened to the public on Friday evening. True to form, the Orchard Street outpost appears more like a gallery with a cafe counter, rather than vice-versa. Pop-art portraiture by Jeremy Penn presently hangs on the walls while baristas serve caffeine and bites from the center.
Penn is the inaugural artist to help break in the Hell Square space. Others will surely follow, as that’s part of owner Emil Stefkov’s business model. He had mentioned at a recent Community Board 3 meeting that he expects to generate 50% of revenue from the rotating cast of featured artwork.
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With the elimination of the mezzanine level, the business is seemingly dwarfed by the high ceilings. This is less a cozy cafe than a trendy sip spot. Fits right in with the forthcoming Hotel Indigo, and the overall trajectory of upper Orchard these days.
Whynot offers standard cafe fare (i.e. baked goods), and will soon serve wine and beer on the menu. CB3 had initially denied their application for full liquor in October, and told Stefkov to return with a wine-and-beer pitch. That measure will be voted on by the full board at the end of this month.
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