Momofuku Owner: Security at Trump Tower is Hurting Business

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — David Chang, the founder of the renowned Momofuku restaurant group, wants to "make 56th St. great again" and says the security checkpoints around Trump Tower are hindering restaurant foot traffic. Last week, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the heightened security situation around President Elect Donald Trump's primary residence and emphasized that New Yorkers should avoid the immediate area.

Until Trump's inauguration, Secret Service and NYPD will occupy 53rd Street to 57th Street between Madison Avenue and Sixth Avenue. Pedestrians on 56th Street have to undergo a back check to cross to and from 5th and Madison avenues, and the road will be closed indefinitely to car traffic until Trump takes office. Not only is the unprecedented security situation inconveniencing every day New Yorkers, it's hurting local businesses near Trump Tower.

Three of Chang's restaurants—Má Pêche, Fuku+, and Milk Bar— are in the Chambers Hotel, less than a block away from Trump Tower at 15 West 56th Street.

Chang took to Twitter to discuss how the security madness is hurting his business:

With bag checks, car inspections, police dogs, and a plethora of cops, a lot of New Yorkers are avoiding 56th St. by all costs.

Trump said Sunday he'll move into the White House, but his wife, Melania, and 10-year-old son, Barron, won't join him at first. The two will stay in Trump Tower until Barron finishes school in the spring. It's unclear how the security situation will be handled with the two Trump family members staying behind after inauguration in January.

Momofuku lovers showed extended their support to David Chang in this unprecedented situation: