It’s that time of day, New York. Your handsome and humble author is already well-underway with the day’s second article, but he is desperately in need of a coffee. But where, in this wide wide city, could a person so particular and peculiar about his tastes possibly find a coffee that could meet his insatiable standards?
El Condor Coffee Roasters is a brand new coffee store that seeks to answer that exact question. Founded by hospitality expert Nicolas Simon, El Condor is a new café opening at 95 Greenwich Avenue that seeks to stem the inequity in fair labor compensation. As the co-founder and CEO of the full-service hospitality company Wilcuna, Nicolas has spent decades in the industry honing his skills, and has even served as managing partner for two different Michelin-starred restaurants. Most notably, Simon served as Director of Operations for Alain Ducasse’s famed group of restaurants for nearly eight years.
Now, Simon is leveraging his decades of managerial expertise to launch a new café brand in effort to bring a more equitable payment structure to the coffee industry. Dedicated to paying employees a fair and living wage, El Condor hopes to provide guests with a superior service experience by operating a spotless café staffed by uplifted and well-compensated employees. Roasting all of their own beans on their new state-of-the-art Bellwether Coffee Roaster, El Condor prioritizes the quality of its coffee above all else.
And if the name is ringing a bell to any of my fellow Paul Simon fans, you’re right! Nicolas Simon (no relation to the genius behind Graceland) chose the name in reference to the hit song, El Condor Pasa. Inspired by the sense of wild freedom evoked by the song, Simon decided to theme his new café after that same sense of freedom.
Moving into the space at 95 Greenwich Avenue, El Condor will offer a total of 1,632 square feet, divided between the ground floor and basement. Open daily from 7AM – 9PM, more locations are promised to be coming soon as El Condor starts to unveil its plans for a Grand Opening. While more information is still forthcoming, be sure to follow El Condor on Instagram to be the first to know when it opens.
