The Original Soup Man

 restaurant, take away / take out / carry out food, kitchen

"Soup Kitchen International" was a well-known soup restaurant at 259 West 55th Street, near 8th Avenue, run by the Iranian Al Yeganeh. Mr. Yeganeh was the inspiration for the "Soup Nazi" character on the NBC television sitcom "Seinfeld". In the episode, the series' main characters patronize an unnamed soup kitchen, as it serves "the best soup in the city"...yet is run by an immigrant whose strict ordering policies cause locals to refer to him as the "Soup Nazi." Despite the added business, Yeganeh loathed Seinfeld (both the man and the program) for the fairly negative portrayal.

Great demand for the soup caused Yeganeh to begin franchising. The 55th Street location was closed in 2004, with the windows soaped over. Yeganeh, however, kept the lease on the shop while he looked to expand into a broader market. This led to the formation of the Original Soup Man chain and eventually led to the reopening of Soup Kitchen International, which now bears the name "The Original Soup Man" like all of Yeganeh's other restaurants. Five "Original SoupMan" stores can be found in Manhattan itself.

Currently, the former Soup Kitchen International location carries a sign on it informing interested parties that the building will be up for leasing until 2019.

originalsoupman.com/
www.soupkitchenintl.com