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Court Street Grocers

Dining · 3+ locations · Brooklyn: Carroll Gardens, Williamsburg; Manhattan: Greenwich Village

A Brooklyn sandwich counter that grew to three shops without taking outside money, and still names its bread and meat suppliers on the menu. When the 122-year-old bakery behind its hero rolls closed this year, it lost about 6,000 loaves a week.

Founder-run

The Big Picture

Genuinely Independent

Eric Finkelstein and Matt Ross have owned Court Street Grocers outright since 2010, with no investor, franchisee, or parent company at any point. Its named supplier list and posted above-minimum wages are unusually concrete for a three-shop sandwich business, though it publishes nothing on environmental practice. Every decision still sits with the two owners.

Let's Get Critical

Local ownership
9/10
Founder involvement
9/10
Worker pay & benefits
7/10
Environmental impact
5/10
Sourcing & labor
7/10

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Company data last updated August 2026

How does one person build and research all this? They don't: here's how it actually works. Verdicts are our opinions, based on the public sources cited above as of August 2026. Spotted something off? or learn more.