Colors (restaurant)

Colors
Restaurant information
Street address	178 Stanton Street
City	New York City
State	New York
Postal/ZIP Code	10002
Country	United States
Coordinates	40.72021°N 73.98397°W / 40.72021; -73.98397

Colors was a 70-seat restaurant in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City. The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center destroyed the popular Windows on the World restaurant, and, when many of its former workers remained unemployed a non-profit started the restaurant to employ them, while upgrading their skills.^[1][2]

Former employees of the Windows on the World restaurant opened Colors in 2006, with the support of the non-profit Restaurant Opportunities Center.^[3] The restaurant closed its original location in 2017.^[1][2] The New York Times, and other publications, reported that ROC had problems fulfilling its ideals of worker empowerment, reporting difficulties like workers quitting over not being paid on time.^[4][5]

Former actress Sicily Sewell, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu, was hired as chef to oversee the kitchen in a re-opened Colors in the fall of 2019.^[2][6] When the newly reopened restaurant was shut down one month later Sewell was critical of management, who had failed to inform employees that they saw the reopening as a "test run".^[7]

References

1. "Surviving workers from Windows on the World start new restaurant on Lower East Side". ABC7 New York. September 12, 2019. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
2. Tuder, Stefanie (September 12, 2019). "Restaurant Founded by Twin Towers Restaurant Staff Will Reopen on the LES". Eater NY. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
3. Cohen, Li Yakira (September 10, 2019). "COLORS restaurant to reopen on the Lower East Side". amNewYork. Archived from the original on April 8, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
4. Lokting, Britta (December 21, 2018). "The Misadventures of an Idealistic Restaurant in Cut-Throat New York". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 29, 2019. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
5. "The COLOR of Hypocrisy: ROC's Failed Restaurant Model" (PDF). rocexposed.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2014. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
6. Hatchett, Caroline (December 11, 2019). "An Ambitious LES Restaurant Revamp Aims to 'Make Really Good, Black-Ass Food'". Eater NY. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
7. Crowley, Chris (January 21, 2020). "Colors, ROC United's Downtown Restaurant, Abruptly Closes". Grub Street. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.