Mamdani Thought 'Free Food' Would Work… Until 15,700 Storefronts Stood Empty

In this 13 July 2026 published video, host Cash Jordan talks about how Mayor Mamdani’s plans for New York City involves a $70 million, five-store pilot program aimed at lowering prices through subsidized rent and taxes, rather than making all food free. Local independent grocers, however, have raised concerns about unfair competition, and the city has faced backlash over data collection from private businesses.

From Mark Levine and the Office of the New York City Comptroller on 4 June 2026: 

• Storefront vacancy across New York City remains above pre-pandemic levels. The citywide storefront vacancy rate rose from 10.5 percent at the start of 2020 to 11.6 percent in late 2023 and remains elevated at 11.0 percent as of April 15, 2026. Currently, approximately 15,700 storefronts remain vacant.
• Lower Manhattan, North Brooklyn, and Western Queens continue to experience the highest vacancy rates in the city. The neighborhood vacancy rates are concentrated in: Financial District–Battery Park City (21.1 percent), Old Astoria–Hallets Point (20.1 percent), Ocean Hill (19.5 percent), Tribeca–Civic Center (19.5 percent), East New York (North) (19.4 percent).
• Vacancies are concentrated in clusters. Storefronts located within one block (250 feet) of a vacancy are 30 percent more likely to be vacant than the citywide average.
• Small businesses tend to be replaced by other small businesses, not by chain expansion. Of the roughly 96,500 small business storefronts operating at the beginning of 2020, 84 percent are still operating as the same business or were replaced by another small business.
• Persistent vacancy remains a major concern for small business storefronts. In many neighborhoods, 80–90 percent of storefronts vacant in early 2026 had already been vacant for at least nine months. Some corridors show persistent storefront vacancy over multiple years. In Lower Manhattan, Harlem, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Crown Heights, Williamsburg, East Flatbush, Astoria, and parts of southeast Queens, more than one in ten storefronts previously occupied by a small business is vacant.
• New York City is an outlier among peers. Nationally, retail demand has largely recovered since the pandemic. Compared to other major cities, New York City has a greater range of vacancy rates by neighborhood.

https://youtu.be/qPSvr5WjP2Q