NBA basketball legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson paid a visit to the new Magic Johnson Marketplace restaurant at 95 Greene St. in the busy Exchange Place area of town Wednesday.
Johnson chatted with customers and fans, toured the restaurant – the first Magic Johnson Marketplace in the nation – spent time meeting with the staff at the location, and sampled some of his favorite menu items.
The eatery is open for breakfast and lunch. It offers fresh salads, grilled entrees, made-to-order deli sandwiches, coffee, and “grab and go” options.
On Wednesday, the line of fast food customers and basketball fans began forming around the block at 8:30 a.m. in front of the restaurant. Beginning at 11:30 a.m., the former star of the Los Angeles Lakers spent about three hours signing autographs for the first 200 guests in line.
Customers are surrounded by imagery and artwork that tells the Magic Johnson story.
The restaurant opened for business in January, and according to Tara Baten of SodexoMAGIC, the cafe’s management company, business has been “terrific.”
Our Digital Archive from 2000 – 2016
