As New York City continues to prep for city-owned grocery stores, New York State Sen. Joseph Griffo has urged Mayor Zohran Mamdani to consider a different model that has proven successful in the 53rd Senate District.
In April, Mayor Mamdani announced that a 9,000-square-foot store in East Harlem will be constructed from the ground up and is expected to open by 2029. The Mamdani administration plans to open one store in each borough by the end of the Mayor’s first term. It will reportedly cost $70 million to build the stores.
However, some have expressed concerns with Mayor Mamdani’s plan, including the use of taxpayer dollars to build the supermarkets, operational efficiency and the impact that the stores could have on private businesses.
In a letter dated April 24, 2026, that he sent to Mayor Mamdani, Sen. Griffo suggested that the Mamdani administration look at what Compassion Coalition is doing through its Bargain Grocery store located at 1110 Lincoln Ave. in Utica and 558 River St. in Troy.
By partnering with national and local vendors to purchase overstock food and accept corporate donations, Bargain Grocery sells products at prices typically lower than big box stores. Additionally, the store provides workforce development opportunities and meaningfully reduces food waste and its associated environmental impact.
“Compassion Coalition is financially supported by Bargain Grocery, which allows the organization to be self-sustaining,” Sen. Griffo said. “The organization has demonstrated that it is possible to provide healthy and affordable food options without government ownership or placing additional burdens on already overburdened taxpayers.”
Sen. Griffo also invited Mayor Mamdani to visit Bargain Grocery and meet directly with the leadership of Compassion Coalition to see firsthand how the store operates. Almost four months after sending the letter to the mayor, Sen. Griffo has not received a response. While the mayor’s office recently claimed it had no record of the correspondence, Sen. Griffo believes that is a convenient excuse to not consider alternative models and to continue moving forward with an initiative that could cost taxpayers across the state.
“With its Bargain Grocery stores, Compassion Coalition has developed a proven, self-sustaining model that works,” Sen. Griffo said. “Mayor Mamdani could learn a lot by visiting this operation. Instead, he disappointedly seems content to use taxpayer money to pursue his own expensive grocery store endeavor. While I recognize the need to make things more affordable and have advanced and supported solutions that would do so, my fear is that Mayor Mamdani’s initiative will not be successful without bailouts from already overburdened New Yorkers.”
A copy of Sen. Griffo’s April letter to Mayor Mamdani is attached.
