Operator Named for New Wagner Park Restaurant
The Battery Park City Authority (BPCA) is partnering with food-services firm Jabber Dorado Enterprises to bring a restaurant to the pavilion building in the newly reopened Wagner Park. Queens-based Jabber Dorado works with multiple New York City agencies, private-sector businesses such as WeWork and Airbnb, and many grade school and university cafeterias. The company’s public-facing restaurant brand is Migrant Kitchen, a fast-casual chain with a menu offering Middle Eastern and Latin fusion at four locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It has operated concessions in Central Park, Bryant Park, Barclays Center, and at the U.S. Open.
Jabber Dorado is a minority/women-owned business enterprise (which makes it a preferred vendor for government agencies in New York), and a “social impact food service company.” According to the company’s material, it “recruits and empowers a primarily immigrant employee base and provides a meaningful experience through fair wages, growth opportunities, financial and legal counsel.” A portion of all the firm’s revenue is donated to help feed food-insecure communities across New York City. Co-founder Daniel Dorado is a resident of Battery Park City.
The proposed concept for the restaurant (tentatively named “the Ellis”) is to offer all-day cafe service, 8am through 10pm, seven days per week, featuring both sit-down and takeout service. Price points will be “aligned with the diverse clientele, ensuring accessibility for residents, families, and service workers in the community,” says Mr. Dorado. The menu will be “American, with global influences,” he adds, noting that “the location lends itself to a global format. We’re overlooking Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, so we’re really hoping to infuse a lot of what has already been encompassed in the redesign of Wagner Park into the menu and the style of service. We’re just excited to take on this amazing space in this amazing park.”
Mr. Dorado says, “we want to make sure that this is affordable. This is not going to be an extremely, over-the-top expensive restaurant. We’re looking at price points that would vary anywhere from $8 to $15, in that range.”
The preliminary design for the space calls for 108 seats (58 inside and 50 outside), within 5,000 square feet of kitchen and dining space. Jabber Dorado is expected to begin operating a pop-up food and beverage kiosk in Wagner Park this month, which will feature “a nostalgic, family-focused menu of hot dogs, beverages, and snacks,” along with an ice cream cart. The firm’s gradual rollout will continue with the introduction of food trucks on the dates of special events in Wagner Park, including brands such as Rosie’s Bites, Cuddy’s Cuisine and the Halal Guys.
By November, Jabber Dorado is scheduled to start construction of the pavilion’s interior restaurant space, which is expected to take six to nine months. This timetable will allow for the new bistro to open in the summer of 2026.