Washing sidewalks at 4 a.m.

Cyed Adraincem is opening Hoy, a Filipino street food spot designed like a Manila night market. He's so dedicated he washes the sidewalk before foot traffic starts.

“I wanted to beat all the foot traffic”

Fast casual Filipino for everyone

Hoy will serve barbecue skewers, lumpia, and sandwiches. The goal is introducing Filipino food to a broader audience since it's underrepresented in NYC.

“They don't want something pretentious; they just want to eat and have a good drink.”

American diners meet cocktail bars

The space mashes up American diner style with cocktail bar energy. Everything is counter service and front-facing, with an open kitchen creating constant energy.

Cousin designed the whole look

Designer Kristofferson San Pablo, a well-known LA artist and Adraincem's cousin, created branding based on Manila night market intensity with lots of colors and visual stimulation.

Ancient textile patterns on walls

The wall pattern comes from one of the Philippines' oldest textiles. Shelves mimic sari-sari stores, the corner shops that sell essentials from people's homes.

Beyond the obvious Filipino symbols

They avoided typical Filipino branding like stars and suns. Instead they used barrel men, carabaos, and farmer life to showcase culture in a different way.

The barrel man teaches culture

Barrel men were souvenirs poor people made to sell, and they're gag gifts. Adraincem loves teaching customers who don't know about these Filipino cultural items.

“It's fun, it's a gag gift.”

Pop culture art on the fly

The designer works fast on pop-culture moments like a Knicks-themed choking sign. When Adraincem brings up ideas, his cousin has often already started working on something similar.

“Everything's on the fly, baby.”

Merch from day one

They're launching with shirts, hats, totes, and possibly barrel man keychains and house slippers. Most merch will be collaborative with other artists and creatives.

Why go all-in immediately

After 17 years in the industry, Adraincem saw merch flying off shelves at cocktail bars. People wear clothes from places they love, so it spreads the word and creates revenue.

Growing their own ingredients

They made a pot pond from a large planter and are growing lemongrass, calamansi trees, and labuyo chiles. The corner location gets lots of light for a tropical jungle.

“We're going to make a jungle and grow and eat what we can.”

Gas issues delay the opening

A Department of Buildings gas firing issue means they can't cook onsite yet. They're hosting Arellano Pandesal for Filipino pastries while Hoy does beverages.

Community market while they wait

They're launching a community marketplace with local vendors, friends, and family. It's a way to get people in the space and build excitement before the full opening.