Community board backs Golden Corral renewal, objects to Shake and Crab after precinct lists violent incidents

The Economic Development and Public Safety Committee of the community board on Wednesday recommended no objection to Golden Corral's alcohol license renewal but voted unanimously to send a letter of objection to the State Liquor Authority regarding Shake and Crab after the NYPD presented a string of violent incidents tied to that location.

Co-chair Williams opened the licensing portion of the meeting and asked the 49th Precinct presenter for his assessment. Lieutenant Mark Hanner told the committee he had "no issues" with Golden Corral and noted the business had been burglarized twice but that those thefts were not sufficient cause for objection from the precinct or the committee.

The Shake and Crab discussion centered on a timeline of incidents Hanner said were connected to the establishment or its operations. Hanner recounted multiple episodes, including an employee assault on Feb. 8, 2025, and, he said, "on February 23rd, 2025, we had a uh, gunshots were fired out out front resulting in one uh uh homicide and then uh you know, another person was struck by gunfire." He also listed a Sept. 21, 2025 altercation in which a complainant was struck in the mouth, an early-2026 stabbing following an inside fight, undercover underage-sale findings in April 2026, and disorderly large groups and a slashing victim brought to Harlem Hospital in May 2026.

Residents and commenting board members urged the committee to object, describing the incidents as serious and chronic. "I just find it absolutely unacceptable that an establishment like this can exist with so much violence happening," said K Cardona during the gallery session.

A committee member clarified the board's role: "the board does have input in the review process, we do not determine whether or not uh the establishment get a license. That's the purview of the SLA," Williams said, underscoring that the State Liquor Authority makes final licensing decisions but that the board's letter is part of the record.

An officer working with the SLA told the committee that "Shake and Crab was served a notice of pleading," and that the owner had until later in the month to respond to the SLA's action.

The committee made and seconded motions on both locations. The motion recommending no objection to Golden Corral carried unanimously. The committee then voted unanimously to forward a letter of objection to the State Liquor Authority regarding Shake and Crab; members said the letter will document the precinct's incident reports and the reasons discussed in committee.

Next steps: the board's letters will be included in the community board's packet to the SLA; final licensing decisions rest with the State Liquor Authority, which has already initiated a pleading in the Shake and Crab case.