CAN THESE CAFES SURVIVE NEW YORK? | Fung Bros

Making it in New York doing anything is hard, especially without a whole lot of financial backing. And these people right here that you're about to meet are doing it all for the culture and their own passions. This is the underdogs. What is up people? Have you ever felt like the underdog? Has anyone ever told you that you weren't tall enough? You weren't smart enough? You weren't privileged enough to do something that you wanted to do? I will tell you this, David and I being the Funk Bros, we definitely have felt that way. Over the years of doing a food videos, we got to know a lot of restaurant owners. And one thing that I learned is that it is really, really hard to open up your own restaurant, let alone be successful. So that's what I wanted to do in this video today. I wanted you guys to meet five new business owners that we know and have them tell you about their underdog story. Before we get into that, I want to give a big shout out to YouTube Red for sponsoring this video. I want to tell you guys about a new YouTube original series called Cobra Kai. It is based off of the original Karate Kid series from 30 years back after that epic, iconic fight where Daniel pretty much hits him with the BOOM! BOOM! One-legged kick crane. It's about being an underdog and it's about redemption. And if you guys see the trailer, there's a link down below. Basically, the first two episodes are free starting May 2nd on YouTube Red. So definitely make sure you check out that YouTube Red original series when it comes out. But right now, without further ado, let's go meet these underdogs. Hi, I'm Chris Xiao from Pittsburgh. My family is from China originally. So I came to New York, you know, as a hungry young person thinking I want to be in an industry that's meritocratic. And I wanted to understand how the world kind of works. So actually, I worked in finance for five years. And when you want to open up my own business, I've always been more entrepreneurial. I have a lot of ideas how things can and should be done. Why matcha? I've never been a coffee person. So you know, matcha as a product, when I drink it, it makes me feel more relaxed. Like there's a lot of chemical stuff going on there. There's a compound in there called L-theanine that kind of interacts with caffeine to make it slow release. You seem like a pretty calm dude. Is that reflective of you? Sometimes too calm. Sometimes I have too much matcha. And you know, as a business owner, you need some like anxiety to get done. We have a less than scrupulous landlord. And we had a leak that kind of closed us down for a week. And we lost a lot of momentum after, you know, having a strong start the first two months. The Zen stuff, I think it's just a matter of like having dealt with so much, you know, crap. And then, you know, having worked through that, you realize nothing really matters, but like your happiness and the people around you. So Zen, man. I'm an underdog because I don't have any restaurant experience or any extra financial help. And my partner left the business a few months after we started. But I always bet on myself because I focus on the core of the service and product. And I know I can put my heart and soul into this business. Okay. All right. That was Zen Chai. I'm really glad we got to talk to Chris. He's a really smart guy. Definitely check out this spot. If you've ever come to the Lower East Side, chill Zen vibes. All right. So our next spot is a coffee shop called Cabisera Cafe. It's opened by a lady named Chinita. She's got an interesting story. Let's go talk to her. Cabisera Cafe is a neighborhood art cafe dedicated to making our customers happy. We opened Cabisera Cafe because we wanted to bring some of that Filipino family love to the Lower East Side. All right. I am here with Jeanette and Chinita from Cabisera Cafe. Thank you for making this adobo sandwich. How would you guys describe this spot? This is the expansion of your living room. I know every single, yeah, every single customer that came into our coffee shop, I do memorize their name. And what's their favorite? So DJ is coming from the FBI. The full-blooded Igorot. And I am Ilocano as well, coming from Tarlac. How are you guys trying to show Filipino culture in a different way? First, food. We want to make sure that the food has a personal touch. And we want to make sure that it has the taste of a Filipino. Once a month, we're trying to take the barako coffee, which is the locally grown coffee in the Philippines, and give it for tasting. And this becomes a very favorite hangout spot of Filipinos in the city. And of course, the art that's in here, you know, that's one factor that draws people. Exactly. Yeah. Yeah. Art gallery, because this location, the Lower East Side is a, you know, an art gallery area. She does good latte art. She puts, yeah, and dogs. So I have to make sure that we are getting in there, not disappointing any customer. We just noticed that everybody that comes in goes out with a smile. How can you walk out of here with a frown on your face? You look at one You don't have a sun outside, we have the sun inside. But what I'm gonna do right now for you is our exclusive drinks, almond chaytado. Wow, between these two, I'm just double fisting this. We are an underdog because there's a lot of cafes in New York City, but none of them are Filipino influence. So we are exposing people something new. Definitely me and David can relate to what Jeanette and Chanita are trying to do, you know, fuse their culture into something that people are not used to them seeing. Minorities aren't the only people who can be underdogs. Even like this guy, Ted, behind the camera right here. Ted, come over here, man. You were telling me before that even you feel somewhat like an underdog in what you're trying to do. Yeah. So I just recently moved to New York from Arizona. I'm not from an entertainment background, don't have a ton of financial backing. And so it's hard to make it as a cinematographer in the city and as a new YouTuber. Anybody who kind of has like these barriers or maybe lack of systems to do something, you know, generally, I would say that's an underdog story. And that brings us to our next spot. It is a guy who was also in the professional route, but decided to Tonkatsu. Let's hear a story. I'm Ben Tong. I own a cozy Japanese fusion comfort food restaurant in the Lower East Side. I opened Tonkatsu because even though I started as an engineer, I naturally had a passion for food. I want to create a space where I can interact with the customers I serve. What's going on, everybody? I am here with Ben Tong of Tonkatsu. That's from the name, Tong Tonkatsu. Let's try to create like a real quick business name, you know, because everything moved really quickly to this spot. And between finding the location and signing the lease, it was like a five-day period. Went to school in Los Angeles, California at UCLA. Dropped out of engineering school for about a semester or so. Found out I really enjoyed cooking and sharing food with people. It just felt so natural and so, so motivating. Talking The bottom hinge of my door breaks off, so I couldn't open. So, you know, that really definitely hurts. There's a lot of things that I had to adjust in the kitchen. You know, I had to develop the concept to kind of fit what is logistically possible for this small kitchen. You know, I had a deep fire, an oven that didn't work, a grill that didn't work. I kind of changed my concept to fit what was possible. So far, most everyone has been really enjoying my food and seem to be happy that I am here in their neighborhood, you know, the Lower East Side. I'm an underdog because I'm alone in this venture. I don't have a chef or partner to rely on. I do the accounting and cooking, and I've only been open for three months, so I'm still figuring it all out. All right, we are here on Eldridge Street in the Lower East Side, pretty much in Chinatown, and we are here at Avocado Appetite with James. How would you describe this restaurant in like one sentence? We are a healthy-themed, avocado-based restaurant that tries to promote a lifestyle out to the public, especially to the Chinese community out here. People say that we're unthoughtful because we are young. As for myself, I'm only 25, and my partners are also around the early 20s. This is our first project, and everyone else doubted us. They did not think that we would succeed because we're Asian, getting into avocado-themed restaurants. But I want to promote the lifestyle to everybody in the Chinese community. Back then, I used to be like 200 pounds over, but all I ate was avocado, and I lost like 40 pounds over the half a year. Avocado did so much for me, and I really want to promote avocado back to the community and give back to avocado. Yo, you are an avocado evangelist, man. You're spreading the word. Thank you so much. All right, everybody, that was Avocado Appetite. That was James. Definitely check out this spot if you're ever in the Lower East Side Chinatown area. Good vibes, good lighting. Check it out. So as you can see, Tay is like the only guy behind the counter, so he's a little bit stressed right now. I am here with Tay from Kona Coffee, man. Thank you very much. Quickly explain to me Kona Coffee. So Kona Coffee is the only coffee that grows in the United States, and because it's from Hawaii, and as you know, I grew up in Hawaii, basically bring Hawaii to New York City. We wanted to provide, you know, good space, you know, where they can relax. I'm Korean American. Coffee is huge in Korea as well, and you know, even in Korea where the market is really competitive, especially coffee shops, Kona did really well in Seoul. So I'm an underdog because, you know, I'm the only guy here who runs the shop, and I'm trying to educate people about Kona Coffee, which is really not a thing yet, but I believe in my coffee, and I know it's gonna, you know, success. Come to my shop and taste Hawaii. All right, everybody, yo, thank you so much for watching that video, and big shout out to the new YouTube Red original series, Cobra Kai, that's coming out on May 2nd. First two episodes are free. Definitely check it out. You know, underdog story about redemption based off the iconic Karate Kid movie with the same actors. It's gonna be funny. I didn't want to make it sound like owning a small business in New York is only a lot of trouble. There's a lot of glory. There's a lot of love and passion behind it. There's a lot of fun behind it because, you know, it is true, man. If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere. It means so much to do it in the city, and that's why people are going through so much trouble to do it. So definitely check out these spots if you guys ever come to New York because these are spots that I personally go to and whose products and service I personally like, and I was so glad to cover it in this video.