Motek, the Miami-born flagship brand of Happy Corner Hospitality, is adding New York addresses as founder Charlie Levy describes a goal of reaching 20 city locations within three years. The plan is an aspiration, not a confirmed count of signed leases: the company’s reported footprint includes existing restaurants, announced projects and a separate Yalla Motek concept.
Happy Corner Hospitality was founded by Charlie Levy, and the company has been expanding its restaurant brands across New York City at a rapid clip, according to the New York Post. Motek, described as the company's Miami-born Mediterranean and Middle Eastern flagship, opened its first New York City location at 928 Broadway in Flatiron, a 10-year, 7,000-square-foot lease with Grunberg Realty that Commercial Observer described as marking the brand's introduction to New York City. That Flatiron outpost debuted in September 2025, per the same outlet, with a blended rent of roughly $300 per square foot across nearly 7,000 square feet on two levels, according to the Post.
Motek later opened a West Village outpost at 184 Bleecker Street, according to the Post. The location is separate from the former Rue 57 space at 60 W. 57th St.; the Post’s comparison with Acadia, a restaurant operated by Simon Oren, concerns the latter address. The restaurants serve cuisines associated with Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Turkey and neighboring lands, according to the Post.
Manhattan Locations and Projects
At 60 W. 57th St., on the southeast corner of Sixth Avenue, Motek took over the former Rue 57 space, according to the Post. Its menu includes seed oil-free small and large dishes, among them mezzes, hummus dips, crispy chicken schnitzel, garden plates, kebabs, raw and cooked fish, and beef-and-lamb steakhouse options. The Post also reported Levy’s plan to bring the Yalla Motek banner to 366 Madison Avenue at East 46th Street.
The Upper West Side is next on the list. Motek is slated to replace the former Serafina space at 2178 Broadway at 77th Street in 2027, according to the Post's reporting, inside the Arthouse Hotel. That plan tracks with earlier reporting from Commercial Observer, which said Motek would open one location in the Arthouse Hotel at 2178 Broadway and another in Williamsburg at Ryco Capital's 168-170 Wythe Avenue. A separate report from What Now New York instead placed the planned Williamsburg location at 80 N. Seventh Street, and the available reporting does not clarify whether these refer to the same project, a change of plan, or simply differing accounts.
A Williamsburg Plan, With an Address Still Unclear
The planned Williamsburg restaurant would take Motek beyond Florida, where the brand began, according to What Now New York. That outlet reported that the expected menu would include hummus, oven pita, skewers, salads, steak, lamb chops, falafel, kebabs and all-day brunch.
The reported scale of the New York effort has grown over time. In April 2025, Motek announced plans to open five New York locations over the following few years, Time Out reported. By August, Commercial Observer reported that the proprietors expected more than five city locations in the near future, identifying Williamsburg and the Upper West Side as possible targets.
Yalla Motek and the 20-Location Aspiration
Happy Corner Hospitality leased 2,500 square feet at 1147 Broadway for Yalla Motek, Commercial Observer reported in August. It would be the concept’s first New York City location and its second in the United States, following an Aventura, Florida, opening in 2022. The Post reported that the Broadway restaurant is expected to open Jan. 1, 2027.
Levy told Commercial Observer that the company planned five New York locations and envisioned reaching 20 over the next three years. That figure describes the founder’s growth goal, rather than a confirmed roster of openings. At the time of the report, Motek had four New York City locations, and the company’s latest lease was for 184 Bleecker Street, signed in November 2025, the outlet reported.
A National Benchmark, Not a New York Forecast
For scale, Cava’s documented growth is much larger and covers its U.S. chain, not its New York City expansion: the Mediterranean-inspired fast-casual company opened 58 restaurants in 2024 and told USA TODAY it planned to open more than 60 in 2025. That national comparison does not establish how many Cava locations opened in New York.
Rising Rents and a Block-by-Block Strategy
The leases are being pursued in a costly retail market. Commercial Observer, citing CBRE, reported that average retail asking rent on Broadway between 14th and 23rd Streets reached $371 per square foot in the second quarter of 2026. The average asking rent across 16 major Manhattan retail corridors was $670 per square foot in the second quarter of 2025, according to the same outlet.
Levy grew up in Israel and lived for 25 years at Eighth Avenue and 57th Street, the Post reported. He has said that familiarity with Manhattan informs how he evaluates locations.
Happy Corner Hospitality is also planning a Battery Park rollout of its Sesame Kitchen brand, according to the Post. Levy has identified the Upper East Side as a possible area for further expansion, but said the company is not pursuing it yet.
