'Cash Mob' To Save Papaya King Plotted By Brooklyn Restaurateur

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Papaya King's future on the Upper East Side still looks bleak — but a local restaurateur hopes that enough good cheer and some cold, hard cash can prevail on developers to keep it alive.

Armed with wads of dollar bills, hot-dog lovers will descend on the East 86th Street shop at noon on Saturday as part of a "cash mob" organized by Michael Quinn — owner of the hot dog seller Feltman's of Coney Island and a self-described "hot dog historian."

The event comes two months after Patch broke the news that Papaya King could soon be shuttered after the developer Extell filed plans to demolish its one-story building on the corner of Third Avenue, which the company purchased for $21 million last fall.

That would be a shame, said Quinn, who in 2017 revived the 150-year-old Feltman's brand that is credited by some with inventing the hot dog.

"Papaya King kind of reminds me of my place or Nathan’s," he told Patch. "It's such a part of New York — it's affordable, it's the original location."

The "cash mob" concept is simple: "You run in and buy a lot of stuff," Quinn said. He's taken part in similar efforts before, helping draw customers to B&H Dairy in the East Village and joining an unsuccessful effort to save Gem Spa on St. Mark's Place.

Joining in the campaign will be Frank "the Tank" Fleming, a blogger with Barstool Sports whose petition to "Save Papaya King" had garnered more than 200 signatures by Thursday. (The upcoming cash mob was first reported by Brooklyn Paper.)

While cash alone cannot rescue the business, Quinn hopes the event will serve as a public show of support for keeping the Upper East Side mainstay.

"This is something people want to stay, they don’t want it to become a high-rise, be knocked down," he said. "Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't."

For now, Papaya King's closure does not appear imminent, as Extell remains tied up in court with Papaya King's current owners. The lawsuit, initiated by the previous landlord, alleged that the owners had taken over the shop without permission after the original Papaya King's lease was canceled due to unpaid rent.

In May, an attorney for the new landlord — apparently Extell — alleged that Papaya King owners Grab & Go Convenience have "insisted on remaining in possession" of the building despite "monetary incentives to vacate."

A lawyer for the Papaya King owners hit back one day later, telling a judge that the landlords had misrepresented talks between the two parties. In fact, the landlords had lowered their own offer to settle with Papaya King, the attorney said — suggesting that "there was never any intent" to settle the case after all.

No documents have been filed in the lawsuit since June 1, and representatives for Extell did not respond to questions about the case.

Ultimately, the developer will decide the fate of Papaya King, Quinn conceded.

"But at the very least, we should fight it," he said.

Related coverage: Major Upper East Side Corner Faces Demolition, Including Papaya King