A restaurant chain with celebrity owners and its own reality TV series is plunging into the New York market, making Brooklyn its first local outpost. NY1's Jeanine Ramirez filed this report.
The lines have been long since Wahlburgers opened this week in Coney Island. It's the burger chain's first restaurant in New York.
"Everybody has been so receptive. I love Brooklyn. And I love Coney Island," says chef Paul Wahlberg.
As the head chef, reality TV star and brother to actors Mark and Donnie—Paul Wahlberg poses for pictures while getting the place running at full speed. As we witnessed, though, he does more than just manage the operation.
The Stillwell Avenue restaurant has rooftop dining overlooking the amusements, from Wonder Wheel to the Parachute Jump.
"You got the Thunderbolt, Cyclone stadium and the Aquarium. So it was something that just drew us," says operations manager Mark Singer. "Donnie's first video for New Kids on the Block was done here."
Singer says the restaurant is gearing up just as the summer season is winding down, because it took a whole year to secure permits and finish construction. He wants the roofdeck to become a year-round destination, though. He showed us the plans for a glass enclosure covering most of the dining area.
"It will have a completely glass roof, with glass bi-fold doors so in the summer you can open the doors and it's as if you're sitting outside. In the winter, we close all the doors. We have heat," Singer says.
Walburgers plays on the family name, and spotlights family's entertainment success. The Wahlburg brothers were heartthrop pop signers, then became actors.
Their restaurants feature Shake-Shack-style food, plus beer. The Coney Island Wahlburgers has a Brooklyn accent—with Italian ices and a margarita named for the borough.
The restaurant is planning to open seven more locations in New York.
There's a planned Times Square site on Eighth Avenue between 45th and 46th Streets. In Coney Island, Wahlburgers joins a growing list of national eateries—but the locals don't seem worried the neighborhood's character is in jeopardy.
"Before, other than Nathan's---that was it. Now, we got Wahlburgers. It's a great addition to us. It brings more people," says business owner Yaniv Haddad.