Hey everyone this is our project of food places around the Castle Hill Station.

The following is our Annotated Google Map Link : https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/edit?mid=1GEJaPQsooBfNE9v5Zc03I46seHMwo9I&usp=sharing

The following is our Foodscape counts table :

The following are the 9 places we explored and observed :

Halal Munchies
Restaurant(limited service)
Halal / American fast casual(fusion street food)
The store is in an area with a lot of different kinds of stores, and not all of them are food-related. The food-related stores are a few spots away. The other food spaces are beverages and some other similar restaraunt spots. There’s usually around two people each time in the front working and taking a customer one person at a time and doing their order. Workers quickly prepare food, sell it at fast counters, and people eat it informally or on the go. This shows that the system is focused on speed, ease, and low cost.
Hisan’s Further Observations : I choose Halal munchies as my selection for the longer observation. Customers often come on their own and maybe sometimes in pairs of two. When I got to the place, I saw 2 employess working but from multiple visits I seen at most 3 people on busy days and mostly at night its one person, and like I said before they do the same thing of taking a customer and dealing with 1 person and next employee does the same with the following customer, they work off each other pretty well by cooking, cleaning, preparing, and doing registry work. Ordering was pretty normal as I had to wait in a line and order from the menu which I have posted a picture of. They have the usual doordash, grubhub, and uber for delivery and pickup. Menu is above the working station and they have menu brochures and prices are pretty justifiable and sounds about right for the economy. Language seems to be mostly English with the customer, but amongst the employees it is usually Arabic. Surrounding area seems to be filled with fast food areas and a lot of deli’s and 99cent stores.

Crepe House
Restaurant(limited service)
Desert Cafe / French-inspired cuisine
There are eateries, delis, supermarkets, and street sellers all over the place. Most of them are close to each other and along busy streets. Cooking and serving are examples of visible labor. Behind the scenes, food prep, cleaning, and supply work are examples of secret labor. It’s important to focus on speed and ease, so food is made quickly, sold quickly, and eaten quickly or on the go.

Lulu’s Coffee Shop
Bar/Coffee/Beverage
Coffee shop / cafe
There is a coffee shop, which is generally on a main street with other small food businesses. Serving drinks and making drinks are examples of visible labor. Preparation work, stocking, and cleaning are examples of secret labor. Drinks are made quickly, sold at the bar, and drunk in a casual way, usually to pass the time or meet new people.

Aguilas Deli Food
Deli / Boldega
Latin American / Deli-style cuisine
There is a local deli or bodega, which is usually on a street in the area and is surrounded by other small food places. At the counter, people do visible work like cooking and serving, while behind the scenes, people do secret work like preparing food, stocking, and cleaning. Simple table service is used to sell food quickly, and people often eat on the go, which shows that the focus is on ease of access and quick preparation.

Kennedy Chicken & Pizza
Restaurant(limited service)
Halal fast food / American street food
There is a fast food restaurant with restricted service. It is on a busy street near other small food businesses. Work that can be seen includes taking orders and serving food. Work that can’t be seen includes cooking, preparing food, and cleaning in the back. For me, food is made quickly after I buy it at the counter, and I usually eat it on the go. This shows that the system is designed to be quick and easy.

Ittadi Bazaar Halal Food Market
Market
South Asian / Halal Grocery
On a street in the area, there is a small halal market surrounded by other food shops. Putting things on shelves and helping customers are examples of visible labor. Sourcing goods, cooking meats, and organizing inventory are examples of secret labor. Food is mostly bought to be cooked at home, and quick exchanges and eating happen later in private living rooms.

Premium Halal Meat & Fish
Supermarket
International / Halal Grocery
There is a halal supermarket on a busy block, and other food businesses in the area are all around it. Cutting meat, stocking produce, and helping customers are examples of visible labor. In the back, finding goods, storing them, and preparing food are examples of hidden labor. People buy and sell food as raw materials, and most of the time, they cook it at home and eat it later.

5 Brothers Halal Food
Street Vendor – service(permitted)
Middle Eastern / Mediterranean-style cuisine
There is a halal food truck, which is usually found on a busy block. However, since it’s the first one in the area, people aren’t as interested in it yet. Cooking and putting together food in the truck is an example of visible labor. Food prep, getting ingredients, and long hours working behind the scenes are examples of secret labor. The food is quickly made and served from the truck, and money is traded and mostly eaten on the go, with a focus on speed and convenience.

Tandoori Place
Restaurant (full-service)
South Asian cuisine (Bengali / Indian / Pakistani)
Around 2146 Starling Ave, I noticed there are many small food places right next to each other, and the area feels busy with people going in and out. Most spots are local like bodegas, pizza shops, and takeout places, even though they are competing with each other. Tandoori Place stands out because it has South Asian food like biryani and curry, which is different from the other places nearby. I saw workers taking orders, cooking, and packing food, and some delivery workers coming in for apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash. Most people grab food and leave, but some stay inside if there is space. The customers seem mostly local, and the mix of different foods shows that people from different cultures live in this area.
Anon’s Further Observations : Around 2146 Starling Ave in the Bronx, there are a lot of food places close to each other. The area has many small restaurants, delis, and takeout spots, so it feels busy. Most of the businesses are independent and family-owned, not big chains. One example is Tandoori Place, which is a South Asian restaurant in the area. Most food places are simple and quick, like pizza shops, bodegas, Chinese takeout, and Latin food spots. You can see different languages on signs, mostly English and Spanish, because many people in the neighborhood speak Bengali . At Tandoori Place, workers might also speak languages like Hindi or Bengali. There are many kinds of food and dishes, like wings, chicken rolls , fried chicken, and also biryani and curry from Tandoori Place. The mix of food shows that people from different cultures live here. The way workers and customers talk is usually friendly and casual. Many places also use apps like Uber Eats and DoorDash for delivery. One interesting thing is how different types of food are all in one place. It shows how diverse the neighborhood is.

The following is our Foodscape Description : There are a lot of food shops near Castle Hill Station. Many of them are right next to each other on the same streets. Most of these places are small, independent businesses instead of big chains and that makes for a strong food economy in the neighborhood. Most places to eat are limited-service restaurants, delis/bodegas, small markets, and street sellers. There aren’t many full-service restaurants. These places are close together often right next to each other making a long line of food options.

There is a lot of different kinds of food, such as halal food from the Middle East and Mediterranean, Latin American deli foods, American fast food, and dessert cafes like crepe shops. Some of the most common foods are chicken over rice, gyros, biryani, fried chicken, burgers, and fresh fruits and vegetables that can be cooked at home. This variety shows that the neighborhood is widely diverse.

Most of the languages on signs and tables are English, but there are also some Spanish and South Asian languages. Workers often speak more than one language with each other. People who work with customers usually only talk to each other briefly and for the purpose of buying, paying for, and getting food quickly. However, the conversations are still casual and friendly.

A lot of companies use delivery services like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub, which shows how they work with digital food systems. It’s interesting that there are both retail and prepared food places in the same area, and that halal food is sold in a variety of business types. Overall, the food scene values speed, affordability, and cultural diversity, and there are a lot of small, immigrant-owned companies. The places are incredible as there seems to be more and more food spots opening up near castle hill station and its a growing space food business wise.