De Blasio’s homeless hotels plague struggling restaurateurs

Upper West Side restaurateurs struggling to survive COVID say the city did them no favor by moving hundreds of homeless men dealing with drug addiction into the neighborhood just as outdoor dining was getting underway.

Now, in addition to making sure customers and staff are happy and safe, eatery owners also have to worry about diners being accosted or harassed as they eat. It’s driving business away and the city has done little to help, they say.

Marjanne Motamedi recalled the night a homeless man walked up to a display table at her eatery, Cibo e Vino, grabbed a bottle of wine and threatened to smash it into a diner’s face. A restaurant worker intervened, and the homeless man left with the bottle, Motamedi said.

On another night, a homeless man walked by the restaurant’s diners swearing obscenities and spitting, she said.