$2,500/Month Rent & 300 Sq Ft: How Sam Saverance Built NYC’s First Sloppy Joe Diner

Sam Saverance is the co-founder of Bunna Cafe in Bushwick and the creator of Farley’s Sloppy Joes in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. Before opening restaurants, Sam worked as a freelance designer, spent time in finance, and began hosting food pop-ups, one of which evolved into Bunna Cafe, a beloved Ethiopian vegan restaurant that’s been a neighborhood fixture since 2011.

In 2024, Sam launched Farley’s, a 300-square-foot diner-style concept dedicated entirely to the sloppy joe, America’s most nostalgic sandwich. Built for just $2,500 a month in rent, Farley’s runs a lean, efficient operation serving sloppy joes, chips, and sodas while keeping prices affordable and margins healthy.

Over the past decade, Sam has seen the Brooklyn dining landscape transform, from the early days of Smorgasburg pop-ups to a post-COVID world where consumer habits, rent pressures, and oversaturation have changed the rules of running restaurants. Rather than chasing trends, Sam focuses on neighborhood-first growth, organic marketing, and owner presence, building goodwill the old-fashioned way, one customer at a time.

In this episode, Sam breaks down how he opened Farley’s on a shoestring budget, what it takes to survive as a small operator in NYC today, and how to create a concept that feels fresh, fun, and deeply local.

We cover:

• How Bunna Cafe went from pop-up to a Brooklyn institution
• Letting the space shape the concept instead of forcing an idea
• The post-COVID reality of NYC dining and consumer behavior
• Opening Farley’s for under $2,500/month rent with minimal buildout
• How to price affordably without killing margins
• The operational playbook: warmers over fryers, chips over fries
• Neighborhood-first growth and building goodwill as an asset
• Collaborating with local food makers and small brands
• Why Sloppy Joes might be the next big nostalgia food trend
• How to test concepts through pop-ups before going permanent

If you’ve ever dreamed of turning a pop-up into a permanent restaurant, opening in a tiny footprint, or experimenting with low-cost, high-creativity food concepts, this episode is a refreshing, first-hand look at how to do it without losing your mind or your money.

Resources & Links
Farley's Sloppy Joes Website: https://www.farleysnyc.com/
Farley’s Sloppy Joes Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/farleyssloppyjoes

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