GYRO NO-GO: Vicki Likitsakos of mamagyro, which is negotiating to serve Health Department headquarters, says city dietary regulations are intimidating. (
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Fat chance serving food to Nanny Bloomberg’s brigades.
The city Health Department has been trying for two years to get a restaurateur to operate a cafe in its headquarters — but it required so many nanny-state provisions that no one applied.
The department’s picky food specs mandated that all entrees and sandwiches be less than 700 calories with at least 50 percent under 500, and that no more than 20 snack and dessert items be available at any time, with all less than 200 calories and containing less than 200 milligrams of sodium.
Also, only juices 8 ounces and under and only 1 percent or no-fat milk would be permitted.
“No one responded to that request for proposals,” an agency representative confirmed.
The agency was forced to negotiate directly with a Manhattan-based gyro maker to feed the 1,828 employees at its new headquarters at 2 Gotham Center in Long Island City.
Greek eatery mamagyro is hammering out a three-year agreement with the department, said co-owner Vicki Likitsakos, 24.
The agency still presented the restaurant with a list of dietary do’s and don’ts — now tweaked to allow at least 50 percent of all items to contain more than 800 milligrams of sodium and also to permit half the desserts to be more than 200 calories.
Even with the changes, Likitsakos said she was “definitely surprised.”
Since last summer, Likitsakos has been working with the agency to make the menu acceptable. Some items, such as soda and regular Frosted Flakes cereal, were quickly rejected, while others, especially the sandwiches, were adjusted to meet the fussy specs.
“It’s not like we can offer a sandwich with a lot of cheese, turkey and ham and they’ll be OK with that,” Likitsakos said. “It’s definitely intimidating — but we’re not afraid.”
The self-service café, called mamabites, was set to open on April 30 but has been delayed until May.
“There are a lot of requirements, and that’s one of the reasons it’s taking so long,” said Likitsakos, who noted all the food will be prepackaged.
By negotiating outside the formal request for proposals, the city loses money. Mamabites avoided a $2,500 application fee as well as an annual concession fee. Its owners will keep all the profit but be required to pay for electricity, cleaning and trash removal.
The cafe will offer an array of salads — orzo white bean, Greek, quinoa — and sandwiches including ham, turkey and roast beef.
No gyros, though.
Some items, such as the hummus, are still being reviewed, Likitsakos said.
“I don’t know what kind of hummus they are using that has 880 milligrams of sodium!” said dietitian Bonnie Taub-Dix, who noted the agency recommends no more than 1,500 milligrams a day for adults.
“If that’s just your dip, whatever else you are dipping in that day is going to push your sodium envelope.”