Hospitality Design - December 2023 - 21

perspectives hdac spotlight
By Katie Kervin
This is an ongoing interview series curated by the Hospitality
Diversity Action Council (HDAC)
Good Neighbor owners Alexander
Richter and Katrina Schultz Richter
LOCALLY MINDED
The founders of Good Neighbor Queens center the community
Queens, New York native Katrina Schultz Richter opened Good
Neighbor Queens-a grab-and-go food and sundries shop located
inside the Falchi Building in the borough's Long Island City
neighborhood-in 2015. A hospitality veteran, the venture draws on
Schultz Richter's years of industry experience in the city, including at
Thomas Keller's Per Se and as the founder of Queens County Market.
Committ ed to elevating local makers-from food purveyors to artists
and designers, she and her husband, Alexander Richter (who is also
a professional photographer) operate as an " all-hands-on-deck " team,
she says, partnering on the daily operation of the market and its everincreasing
online presence.
How did your background infl uence your decision to start
Good Neighbor Queens?
Katrina Schultz Richter: I've worked in a lot of places-from your corner
mom-and-pop shop to the farmer's market in Union Square and at threeMichelin-starred
restaurants. I truly believe in paying your dues and
learning from the best before venturing on your own.
What were you hoping to create for Long Island City?
KSR: When we opened in 2015, this area of Long Island City was a food
desert, lacking healthy options for quality breakfast and lunch. We started
small, with a curated menu selection of delicious food and great coff ee
and drinks and quickly became known as the neighborhood spot. Eight
years later, we've added new items and expanded our menu but we're still
the place that knows your name and remembers your order.
Why is it important to you to operate in Queens and be a part
of that community?
KSR: I grew up in Queens, and I still reside here. (In fact, our entire GNQ
team currently does.) There is such a deeply rich and diverse food culture,
which for many years was overshadowed by our Manhatt an and Brooklyn
neighbors. It was, and still is, important for me to champion our borough's
own producers and makers. Naturally, I founded Good Neighbor Queens
in my hometown.
How do you decide on and source the items you offer?
KSR: We take pride in the purveyors and producers we work with, and our
goal is to fi nd that balance of sourcing quality products and ingredients,
local whenever possible, and off ering them at price points that our
customers fi nd value in. We also add weekly sandwich and beverage
specials to the menu to keep things spicy.
You have also collaborated with several local artists and
designers on GNQ merch. How do you fi nd those creators?
Alexander Richter: We reach out to people we are fans of and feel would
be a good fi t for the store. If they are interested, I shoot them a couple
ideas to get them started and let them cook from there. We have been
honored to work with world-famous artists like Greg Lamarche (SP.
ONE), DCEVE, Queen Andrea, Curve, and Cleofus on a variety of hard
and soſt goods. hd
hospitalitydesign.com December 2023
021
Photo by ROBBIE SOKOLOWSKY
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Hospitality Design - December 2023

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