Inside Meadow Lane: How the “Controversial Capital” Has Overcome Every Obstacle

By mid-morning on any given day, the line for Meadow Lane stretches from Greenwich Street down to Harrison and beyond. Locals, food critics, and influencers wait to see whether the store is really as gorgeous, delicious, and “luxury grocery chic” as the internet promised. 

Like many businesses in the city, Meadow Lane’s road to opening was anything but easy. It encountered every obstacle imaginable, from grueling NYC bureaucracy to a now-infamous chicken nugget mishap. But what sets Meadow Lane apart is that every misstep and milestone unfolded under the internet's watchful eye, and founder Sammy Nussdorf has turned those challenges into something unexpected: a viral success story.

Opening a grocery store in New York City

Meadow Lane, located at 355 Greenwich Street in Manhattan’s Tribeca neighborhood, reimagines the modern shopping experience through a lens of culinary sophistication, elevated design, and meticulously sourced provisions. 

Founder and CEO Sammy Nussdorf has documented the entire process of opening his gourmet market under the playful moniker @brokebackcontessa on TikTok. His unfiltered transparency has drawn a mix of viral praise and public backlash. “It was either going to be very cringe or successful — or maybe both,” reflects Nussdorf on his videos. “At this point, I’ve documented the entire process. Not just the food, but construction, music curation, design choices, packaging R&D, taste tests with my friends, and even legal logistics. My followers have seen it all.”

And yet, the question remains: is there really such a thing as bad publicity? The New Yorker has been relying solely on organic attention—supported by a small PR team—to navigate the flood of unsolicited press.

So how did Meadow Lane manage the frenzy of opening week? Toast sat down with Nussdorf to talk about the store’s viral debut, the challenges behind the scenes, and what’s next for his luxury grocery store.

The vision for Meadow Lane

Many New Yorkers have mourned the loss of DEAN & DELUCA, a gourmet grocery brand that closed all its NYC locations, but for Sammy Nussdorf, the devastation sparked inspiration: “I was always really into grocery stores and food, and I liked the experience of shopping at certain grocery stores, particularly DEAN & DELUCA,” he recalls. "When that closed down, I just had this fleeting thought of, 'Oh, I'll open a grocery store one day.'"

That fleeting thought took shape after Nussdorf developed a passion for florals during the pandemic and later spent time in Los Angeles, where he was struck by the abundance of fresh produce and prepared food available. The combination sparked an idea: what if groceries, prepared meals, and florals all lived in the same space?

"I'd rather eat prepared foods out of a box than go to a restaurant any day of the week," he says. "So I wanted to build a place that reflected that."

The dream meets reality

Before Nussdorf could craft his beautiful space, he had to survive the city's notorious maze of permits and approvals. What seemed like minor updates became months-long sagas of red tape and bureaucracy. "You were basically sitting on your hands waiting for people or agencies that have all the power to grant you permission to open your store," he says.

Now that Meadow Lane's doors are open, he doesn't miss that stage one bit. "I prefer it the way it is now, even though it's way more chaotic and stressful," he admits. "At least now, when something comes up, we can do something about it."

Building a business in the public eye 

What began as an outlet for sharing progress updates quickly evolved into a full-scale “building in public” experiment that brought thousands of followers along for the ride on TikTok.

“I think it’s a new era of marketing that we’re tapping into,” he says. “People have done this before me, but maybe not as open and behind the curtain.” By pulling back that curtain, he invited customers not only to watch Meadow Lane come to life, but to help shape it, asking for input on everything from hours to menu items.

The payoff was immediate. “It’s created so much attention without having to spend a dollar on marketing, advertising, or press,” he explains. “The demand that it’s caused is insane—something most businesses dream of.”

But that visibility came with a trade-off. Sharing openly meant surrendering control of the narrative. “The con is that you open yourself up to mass public scrutiny and misinformation,” Nussdorf says. “People make presumptions. If you don’t say something, they’ll assume it for you and craft a whole narrative… You lose control of your narrative, and you have to relinquish it.”

Even so, he sees it as worth it. By sharing the unglamorous parts of opening Meadow Lane, Nussdorf built a community that felt invested in the store long before its doors ever opened.

Learning in the spotlight

Since opening, Meadow Lane has seen lines wrapping around the block, security managing the door, and nonstop buzz online. But with that level of constant visibility comes a real risk: every misstep plays out publicly.

In the first week, a few critiques surfaced, including the now-infamous “Nugget Gate,” where a customer posted about undercooked chicken nuggets. Nussdorf moved quickly and directly. “My initial reaction was to message these people right away—handle it privately, take accountability and responsibility, and do whatever I could to make up for the experience,” he explains. “Comp them, let them come back to the store, skip the line, pick whatever they want—because those things should never happen.”

But building in public means navigating both real feedback and exaggeration. “We’re under a microscope, and some people use that to get a free meal,” he says. “Not everything is real, but you have to face it as if it is.” Despite the noise, the moment didn’t hurt the business. It boosted it. “Honestly, it didn’t affect the business. It made us more popular, which is wild.”

Behind the scenes, Meadow Lane made swift changes. “Operationally, I met with the culinary team. Everyone was spoken to,” Nussdorf says. “The person responsible for the ‘Nugget Gate’ issue is no longer here.” Meadow Lane also worked with a Department of Agriculture and Markets specialist to review labeling, allergens, and food safety procedures. “We’ve had several conversations around food safety and quality control, and it’s something we emphasize every day.”

Mistakes happen in any high-volume kitchen, but Meadow Lane’s strength lies in how quickly and transparently it responds.

Toast’s role in keeping the chaos organized

With lines out the door and over 700 tickets a day, Meadow Lane needed dependable technology to keep operations moving. That platform has been Toast Retail.

When evaluating point-of-sale systems, Nussdorf wasn’t looking for bells and whistles. He wanted reliability. “I picked the biggest, most reliable company,” Nussdorf says. 

Once Meadow Lane opened, the value of that choice became clear. Toast Retail’s data offered visibility into the business in real time, a necessity for a store selling out of products by mid-afternoon. “We can compare foot traffic by the hour to any other day we select,” he explains. “We can see who our highest-performing CPG product is, what our highest-performing in-house product is, how much coffee we’re doing… there’s a lot of data we can use for operations.”

Those insights quickly translated into meaningful changes. Meadow Lane initially launched with an ambitious number of SKUs, but Toast Retail’s reporting showed which items were flying off the shelves and which weren’t worth the prep time or fridge space. “Having too many SKUs was something we learned from,” Nussdorf says.

As demand surged, the data became essential not just for day-to-day management but for long-term scalability. “Toast’s data has been huge for that,” he adds. It helped inform labor planning, schedule adjustments, line management strategies, and even the addition of a third, overnight kitchen shift to keep up with volume.

Toast Retail has helped turn instinct into strategy, giving the team the visibility they need to keep delivering the experience customers line up for.

The customer experience: Calm in the chaos

Enter Meadow Lane, wicker basket in hand, and the noise of the sidewalk fades. In front of you rise tiled pillars and displays of fresh groceries, prepared foods, and neatly curated CPG essentials. To the left, a sleek coffee bar offers matcha, espresso, and pastries. Florals spill throughout the store, adding to the calm, curated feel that keeps the internet talking.

Even with nonstop lines, Meadow Lane has managed to cultivate an atmosphere that feels intentional rather than frantic. The key is managing flow rather than rushing people through. “Some people might not love waiting in line, but they appreciate that we’re managing it — it makes it a better experience, not overcrowded.”

That balance isn’t just for customers. It’s essential for the team, too, as Nussdorf explains: “We let in as many people as we can, but we don’t want to overwhelm the staff. We also need time to restock the shelves since things sell out so fast.”

Toast plays a subtle but important role behind the scenes, helping the team adapt in real time. With multiple Toast-powered checkout points, each connected through the same system, the staff can redirect guests wherever it’s quickest to keep lines moving. “Some people buy coffee first, then shop; others do the reverse,” he says. “If one checkout line starts to back up, we can easily route guests to another.”

The result is an experience that feels curated and controlled, even during peak rushes. Much of this calmness comes from the work of designer Sarah Carpenter, who created the warm, sophisticated space that grounds the entire experience. 

Plan your next visit to Meadow Lane 

For locals planning a visit, the store offers a thoughtful mix of everyday essentials and special finds. The experience starts at the Coffee, Pastry, and Smoothie Bar, featuring specialty roasted coffee from La Cabra, matcha from Montauk General Store, and house-made pastries.

From there, visitors can browse chef-prepared foods like the Chicken Salad, Gluten-Free Chicken Nuggets, and French Sandwich. Nussdorf's personal recommendation? "The vegan soba noodle bowl is so good — I eat it every day because it's light and nutrient-dense," he says. The store also features fresh produce and dairy from local farms, curated pantry staples, and a Floral Studio offering arrangements and event support.

Meadow Lane delivers an experience that feels both elevated and welcoming, a reflection of Nussdorf's vision: thoughtful, high-quality, and rooted in joy.