NYC’s viral grocery store founder breaks silence: ‘I’m an active target’ — and it’s good for business
New York City’s most viral grocery store doesn’t just draw lines around the block — it’s sparked a cultural firestorm.
After a month of runaway demand, online opinions and headlines fixated on $65 olive oil and $12 grapes, Meadow Lane founder and CEO Sammy Nussdorf says he’s learned to embrace the chaos. As he puts it, "I am an active target," and surprisingly, he insists that all the scrutiny driving the frenzy is actually "very good for business."
When asked by Fox News Digital to describe the gourmet grocer’s first month of opening, Nussdorf said it’s been "insane … I could have never anticipated what to have transpired, to have transpired. It was a roller coaster."
"So many family members of mine, friends of mine were like, ‘This is not lucrative. This is not gonna be a good idea. You are not gonna make money. You're going to go out of business,’" Nussdorf reflected. "And I was like, ‘I'm not listening to you guys.’"
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Meadow Lane is a high-end prepared-food market in Tribeca, positioned as a gourmet grab-and-go concept rather than a traditional supermarket. Now in its fourth week of operations, the shop initially exploded onto social media with long lines and critics seizing on price tags, luxury branding and Nussdorf’s highly public startup journey.
The end result has created a small business that’s now a cultural flashpoint in the city’s ongoing debate over affordability, food culture and the power of TikTok to make or break a brand overnight.
"I started building this business two years ago, so there was no talk of SNAP benefits being removed. That all happened around the same timeline as when I launched the business," Nussdorf explained. "We were being delayed constantly, and I think that the launch of Meadow Lane happened at [an] unfortunate timeline."
"[Meadow Lane] is not a function of necessity. It is a function of supply and demand. And when there's lines outside of a high-end prepared food market two weeks into the opening, on weekdays during working business hours, it will indicate that there is a demand for this product, experience, service ... and the market is validating that demand."
Some of the store’s offerings include $27 beef salads, $15 chicken nuggets, $12 turkey chili, $14 tortilla chips, $18 eggs, $21 caramelized onion dip, $15 juices and $700 caviar, according to various TikTok reviews.
"You had a lot of left-wing news organizations posing the question of, does New York City need another luxury grocery store? And I'm like, well, first of all, luxury is not the right word, but … they’ve been around forever," Nussdorf said, mentioning competitors like Zabar’s, Dean & DeLuca, Happier Grocer, Butterfield Market and Rigor Hill.
"No one's covering their price tags, which are higher for the most part," he further rebutted. "The average price for a single-serve meal at Meadow Lane is around $22 to $24, which is right on par with any other fast-casual, grab-and-go food option."
During the building process, Nussdorf faced internet backlash for hailing from a venture capital family business — and once doors were open, the grocer’s missteps seemed to take center stage when videos of raw chicken, mislabeled chili and a resurfaced construction mouse started circulating.
"We're trying to adapt in that sense in terms of how the team has adapted since the media coverage and false claims and narratives online. They're not affected by that. That's on me," Nussdorf said. "And that is actually okay, because something you learn about building in public and being somewhat public-facing and having a brand is that controversy and trolling is actually lucrative."
"Meadow Lane is thriving despite these controversies, and it's because we built in public. So for young entrepreneurs that are bootstrapping their companies, that are raising capital … you don't need to be spending a dime on marketing. You could be doing it yourself on TikTok. And I think that's amazing."
Today, Meadow Lane’s kitchen is allegedly operating 24/7. They’re producing as much food as possible, but warn that shelves are being cleared out daily. The store has also enlisted an inventory data analyst and additional offsite warehouse for stockpiling.
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Nussdorf has already been approached by investors to expand Meadow Lane into new markets, but the idea isn’t on his radar quite yet.
"I am being hounded by all the developers, New York, Abu Dhabi, Texas, Florida, you name it," he said. "I want to get my house in order before I start even considering expansion. And when I do, it'll be documented thoroughly on TikTok."