Crains New York - January 7, 2013 - (Page 21)

HELLUVA TOWN INSIDE A cup o’ joe to go Bolla Market has big aspirations to be the coffeehouse of convenience stores. The high-end chain of 21 shops located in gas stations launched its first television ad late last year on at least a half-dozen cable stations, including ESPN and MSG, touting its fresh food, cooked on the premises. It’s distinguishing itself in another unusual way: It’s selling only organic, fair-trade coffee using its own brand name. Owned by Garden City, L.I.-based Bolla Management, which operates some 40 gas stations, auto-repair shops and car-wash operations, the chainlet could become as ubiquitous as Starbucks. “Bolla Market is growing quickly,” said Brett Atherton, director of marketing, adding that the company is considering franchise opportunities, standalone stores and locations outside New York. “We want to be known for healthier alternatives in the convenience-store channel,” he said. In addition to gourmet coffee, each store has a kitchen where hot food and sandwiches are prepared. Two-thirds of the gas stations are in Brooklyn, while the rest are in Staten Island, Queens and Long Island. —lisa fickenscher Source Lunch Bloomberg created the Internet, really PAGE 22 Out and About Artists who are coming to SummerStage PAGE 23 LOGGING IN: CrossFit owner Anthony Preischel assists client Christina Gryte with a weight. Supper club under nightclub The Tony Award-winning foursome behind The Producers and Hairspray knows how to please Broadway audiences. Now the producing team is hoping its success will extend to food. This summer, the partners opened supper club 54 Below, where patrons dine listening to the likes of Patti LuPone and Leslie Uggams in the cellar of famed former nightclub Studio 54. Last month, the space with dark woods and lush upholstery evoking a 1920s speakeasy began serving a pretheater dinner, featuring a jazz band. “Clearly there are dining options on Broadway,” said Richard Frankel, who is an owner along with Steve Baruch, Tom Viertel and Marc Routh. “But there is no place that is really elegant where you can hear music during dinner.” The menu offers classic dishes like steak tartare, rack of lamb and oysters. Dinner for two costs about $75. Mr. Frankel said the team worked on the fare as diligently as it did the decor and entertainment, so the food is good enough to stand on its own merits. “This is another great experience we can provide theatergoers,” he said. —theresa agovino I BY MIRIAM KREININ SOUCCAR n a sparse 4,500-square-foot space on West 36th Street, kettle bells line the walls, rowing machines are stacked on the side, and big-rig truck tires are casually tossed in a corner. All these devices are there to whip willing participants into the best shape of their lives. ¶ As it gets closer to the 11:30 a.m. class on a recent Wednesday, people start filing in and warming up with jump ropes. They are about to go through 45 minutes of pull-ups, lunges, tire flips and a host of other high-intensity training techniques, all part of the CrossFit program. The workouts, originally used by law enforcers and the military, have developed a cultlike following in New York City, attracting everyone from college students and professionals to stay-at-home moms, and have made CrossFit one of the fastest-growing fitness trends in the city today. ¶ And as New Year’s resolutions kick in, CrossFit owners anticipate an influx of newcomers. ¶ “We don’t do any advertising at all; everything is word-of-mouth,” said Anthony Preischel, a former martial-arts trainer who opened CrossFit Hell’s Kitchen two years ago and is now looking to expand the See SKIPPING on Page 22 location and open a second one. “People come in and say, ‘My friend had SWEAT EQUITY ANNUAL FEE that CrossFit gym owners pay $3,000 $225 Source: CrossFit MONTHLY FEE that CrossFit Hell’s Kitchen members pay January 7, 2013 | Crain’s New York Business | 21 buck ennis The unorthodox CrossFit training program is building a high-intensity following, as well as better bodies Skipping the gym

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crains New York - January 7, 2013

IN THE BOROUGHS
IN THE MARKETS
THE INSIDER
SMALL BUSINESS
BUSINESS PEOPLE
OPINION
REPORT: ECONOMIC OUTLOOK
GREG DAVID
FOR THE RECORD
REAL ESTATE DEALS
CLASSIFIEDS
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
SOURCE BREAKFAST
OUT AND ABOUT
SNAPS

Crains New York - January 7, 2013