NYC halal cart kingpin sues rival for trying to steal his prime spots, hiring vagrants to disrupt business
It’s an intifooda!
A halal vendor claims his 10-cart empire in Midtown has been upended by a jealous rival who has tried to steal his prime spots, hired vagrants to disrupt his business, and even got him falsely arrested.
Ayman Afify’s American dream has become a nightmare thanks to the “petty” antics of Naser Eissa, a fellow Jersey City resident who allegedly has a “long-standing grudge” against him, Afify said in a lawsuit.
Naser Eissa (pictured) contended he and Ayman Afify had settled their differences. Robert Miller
Afify’s carts sit in high-traffic areas such as West 34th Street at 7th and 8th Avenues near Penn Station, and West 49th Street and Broadway near Times Square.
Eissa, 46, launched the food fight to steal his customers, with the two often battling near busy Penn Station, Afify, 39, contended in court papers.
“What was once [his] calling and lifelong pursuit of providing New Yorkers and tourists in Manhattan with a tasty meal has become a source of anguish,” he bemoaned in the Manhattan Supreme Court filing.
The beef escalated on July 23, 2023 when Eissa allegedly called 911 from West 34th and 7th Avenue, claiming Afify waved a gun and threatened to kill him, according to the legal papers.
Eissa, a Jersey City resident, said he wasn’t aware of the lawsuit against him. Robert Miller
Afify was out running errands when police arrived, and maintains the “imitation pistol” they found in his cart was planted. He was arrested and charged with menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.
The case was later dismissed.
Afify says Eissa has ruined his reputation, and wants $1 million damages and a judge to order Eissa to stop interfering with his business.
Manhattan food cart battles have at times been so fierce that it’s resulted in violence among competitors. Robert Miller
Eissa, who was peddling kabobs, pretzels, hot dogs and chicken and rice from his cart in Hudson Yards when reached by The Post, denied hiring vagrants to disrupt Afify’s business.
“Nothing of that sort has happened,” the married father of four told The Post.
He said he wasn’t aware of Afify’s lawsuit, and while he stood by his allegation that Afify and another man “brandished pistols against me” last year, Eissa also claimed the rivals had settled their differences.
Eissa, who is a married father of four, denied hiring vagrants to disrupt Afify’s business.. Robert Miller
“There’s no more feud,” he said.
It’s not the first time conflict has simmered between food vendors.
In February 2023 one longtime City Hall vendor was attacked — slammed in the legs and back with a tire iron — allegedly by an enforcer for a rival who tried to shake him down for $20,000.
A few months later, in June, another vendor was slashed in the neck by a competitor amid a long-standing battle over turf in Herald’s Square.
Additional reporting by Claire Samstag