A group of high-profile restaurant and nightclub operators are launching a new trade association and lobbying group, arguing that doing business in the city has become increasingly cumbersome and costly.
Called the NYC Hospitality Coalition, the group has the support of some of the city's most well-known restaurateurs, such as Stephen Hanson, Keith McNally, and Ken Friedman.
"The hospitality industry in New York is one of the biggest employers in the city and we've been treated like an ATM machine," said Mr. Friedman, whose restaurants include the popular Breslin and Spotted Pig. "We need to get some people fired, or elected. We just need to have a little bite along with the bark of the existing restaurant association."
The group is in the process of incorporating as a trade association and will hire a lobbyist and form a Political Action Committee, said Ken Frydman, founder of Source Communications, a strategic-communications consulting firm. Mr. Frydman, who will serve as executive director, said the group's charter members include about 16 operators.
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