An exciting new restaurant experience is coming to Lower Manhattan and it appears to be operated by an ambitious group of new restaurant owners.
Operating under the name Skybird Hospitality, the partnership is lead by Robert Chen and co-owned by Estella Lee, Ken Chang, and Eric Huang. A multidisciplinary filmmaker, photographer, and table tennis coach, Robert Chen founded a table tennis and arts organization in Queens in 2004 called New York Top Talent Foundation. With a strong desire to give back to the community, Robert has dedicated his life to the education of young people in their pursuit of art and sports.
Now, Robert and his partners at Skybird Hospitality are planning on opening a brand new restaurant in a vacant building at 109 Mulberry Street. According to the promotional material provided by Skybird, the project will be called Vybes and will serve an eclectic selection of small plates and entrees alongside hearty portions of pasta and freshly baked pizza.
Robert describes the new project as a “two-level dining experience designed for candle-lit dining on the ground floor level,” alongside a “more relaxed experience in the cellar, complete with tables, games and craft beer.” Moving into an incredibly spacious new development in Lower Manhattan, Vybes will enjoy a massive 9,800 square feet of space divided evenly between the ground floor and cellar.
In addition to the Vybes restaurant concept, Robert will use the other floor to operate Waterfall Café, an all-day café that will serve breakfast, coffee, tea, and snacks from 7AM- 7PM. On weekends, the Waterfall Café will offer a “Grande Brunch” from 8AM-3PM. Of course, given Robert’s background in table tennis and youth mentorship, there will be plenty of games, activities, and even a stage and viewing platform to truly bring the community closer together.
