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Three years since the pandemic forced Ukrainian restaurant Veselka to cease 24-hours-a-day operations, things will go back to how they were—starting with the weekends.
“I think it’ll be just a Friday and Saturday to start,” owner Jason Birchard said to EV Grieve when asked about the potential of resuming 24/7 hours. “And then work into like we did initially back in 1990 just to get our feet wet again. So, yes! It is coming. I think we’re aiming for June 1, but maybe sooner.”
Things are getting busy for Veselka all around: just a couple of weeks ago, a new documentary focusing on the history and cultural resonance of the restaurant hit theaters.
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World specifically looks at second-generation owner Tom Birchard's retirement from the job after 54 years just as his son Jason takes over the reins of the culinary empire.
Important NYC figures make appearances in the 106-minute-long production, which was written, produced and directed by Michael Fiore and narrated by Golden Globe award-winning actor Dave Duchovny: expect NYC Mayor Eric Adams and his counterpart on the state level, Governor Kathy Hochul, to show up on screen, among others.
Throughout the past few years, the eatery has become a politically relevant entity as well, specifically in response to the war in Ukraine. A point of meeting for Ukrainian expatriates that call New York home, Veselka has been raising funds and awareness towards the European cause since Russia invaded the country on February 24, 2022.
Here's to hoping happier, more exciting and joyous events are on the horizon.