Meadow Lane faces dying threats, big demand in first days

A swanky new grocer in downtown Manhattan has been getting dying threats over its stratospheric costs – even as the store was pressured to briefly shutter this week after its cabinets have been emptied by a buyer frenzy, The Post has discovered.

Meadow Lane, a posh retailer in Tribeca at 355 Greenwich St., has drawn such massive crowds since it opened last Friday that it was pressured to impose quotas on items. Those embody $625 tins of Siberian caviar, $65 bottles of additional virgin olive oil, $74 containers of matcha powder and gluten-free rooster nuggets priced at $15 per half dozen.

“We can’t keep up,” founder Sammy Nussdorf, identified online as “Brokeback Contessa,” told Side Dish. “We outperformed all of our projections.”

Meadow Lane founder Sammy Nussdorf shown on opening day last week. “We can’t keep up,” Nussdorf, identified online as “Brokeback Contessa,” told Side Dish. “We outperformed all of our projections.” Stephen Yang for the NY Post

Meanwhile, the 28-year-old New Yorker said he’s also been receiving dying threats and hate – with online loons enraged by his costs as socialist Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has relentlessly attacked the wealthy.

“I have death threats. People are threatening to burn down the store and throw rocks through the windows. The hate is out of control. They focus on any imperfection. It’s politically charged,” said Nussdorf, whose parents previously made Forbes’ list of America’s richest families.

Timing might have been an issue, Nussdorf admits. Meadow Lane – named after a road in the Hamptons that’s lined with billionaires’ seashore estates – opened round the same time SNAP advantages for struggling New Yorkers have been up in the air during the authorities shutdown.

“Obviously I didn’t open overnight. I didn’t know that SNAP benefits would be revoked. They value the narrative they set over the truth. It opened my eyes to a part of humanity that I never knew existed,” Nussdorf said of his critics.

Now, Meadow Lane is promoting out a whole lot of kilos of rooster per day and doesn’t “have enough space in the fridge to keep up with demand,” according to the store’s director of operations.

The retailer was pressured to impose quotas on objects including its gluten-free rooster nuggets priced at $15 per half dozen. Instagram/meadowlanenyc

Customers have been wolfing down the nuggets, that are crispy and scrumptious, together with a $20 Chinese rooster salad. It is full of tangy dressing and edamame, cabbage, cucumbers and carrots that lend the dish a mysteriously satisfying crunch.

As for the haters, Nussdorf says, “All it is doing is increasing my engagement and making this more relevant. I have lines around the block and more than 100,000 followers because of the haters. That’s the antithesis of what they want, but it is what’s happening.”

“People are lining up. There is a market for this,” he added. “That doesn’t mean other people aren’t suffering.”

The 28-year-old New Yorker said he’s also been receiving dying threats and hate. “I have death threats,” Nussdorf said. “People are threatening to burn down the store and throw rocks through the windows.” Stephen Yang for the NY Post

The store’s new followers embody “Shark Tank’s” Barbara Corcoran, who was noticed stocking up on goodies including the celebrated rooster nuggets Tuesday morning.

Meadow Lane was bought out of most of its merchandise by Friday afternoon. The crowds saved coming via the weekend, and by Monday, it needed to close to reassess and restock.

On Tuesday, it opened at midday instead of 11 a.m. and has usually been closing round 4 p.m., after they’ve run out of many items.

“It was supposed to be 9 p.m. but we wanted people to get the full experience,” Nussdorf explained. 

“People are lining up. There is a market for this,” Nussdorf said. “That doesn’t mean other people aren’t suffering.” Stephen Yang for the NY Post

In light of the demand, buyers are now restricted to 5 ready meals objects per particular person. The retailer is also letting people know when objects promote out on social media, to keep away from disappointment in particular person.

“People were waiting in the store for new batches to be made and it was too crowded and then we couldn’t prepare other things,” Nussdorf said. 

Other common menu objects embody horseradish leek rooster salad, a miso salmon bowl, cacio e pepe mac and cheese, and a dish called grandma’s meatballs.

Even the checkered blue and beige Meadow Lane reusable tote bag, reminiscent of a Louis Vuitton sample, is in demand. Stephen Yang for the NY Post

Even the checkered blue and beige Meadow Lane reusable tote bag, reminiscent of a Louis Vuitton sample, is in demand.

Nussdorf expects to offer more objects over time as new cooking gear is available in. When the retailer is working easily, it would open at 7 a.m. and close at 9 p.m., the proprietor said.

The placing interiors, from designer Sarah Carpenter, embody carved nooks the place prospects can put their baskets while paying the cashier.

Nussdorf desires Meadow Lane to be for New Yorkers, not just social media experts who’re passing via the metropolis.

“The locals are the ones who keep local businesses afloat,” he said.

Kate Friedman, 24, was ready in line Tuesday morning while visiting New York from Chicago together with her boyfriend, on a work journey.

“I love [Nussdorf] on TikTok and I am also gluten free. I want to try the chicken nuggets and the matcha,” she told Side Dish.

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