State of Key Food ceilings is troubling to Riverdale customers

The condition of the ceilings at the Key Food on Riverdale Avenue has shoppers feeling uneasy and has prompted several complaints about the supermarket.

Many of the ceiling panels at the North Riverdale supermarket, located within the Skyview Shopping Center, were either water-stained or were missing altogether, which had affected the quality of the customers’ supermarket experience.

Moreover, it was reported by multiple residents who frequent the supermarket, who said the ceilings had given way to water leaks, which resulted in fluid dripping onto some of the produce within the supermarket.

Rafael Hernandez, general manager of the Key Food at 5661 Riverdale Ave. gave an update on the status of the ceilings in the supermarket.

“There are no immediate plans to repair the condition of the entire ceiling, but we will soon address the issue by repairing certain sections of the ceiling,” Hernandez said.

He added, the food products -- which were underneath the supermarket’s leaks-- have since been moved and the situation regarding the ceilings has improved, with the conditions having been “way worse” four or five years ago.

“There were significant leaks and the ceiling was in much worse condition,” Hernandez said.

Another Key Food manager at the same location, who wished not to provide his name to maintain privacy, told The Press they received some complaints regarding the state of the ceilings.

However, he added there are no official plans to renovate the ceilings at the Key Food location, which has been within the Skyview Shopping Center for nearly a decade.

A Riverdale resident of more than 40 years, Thomas Maguire said he will never go food shopping at that location and instead, goes to the C-Town on Mosholu Avenue.

“It’s just atrocious,” Maguire said. “You can see the signs of mold in the ceiling and you can also smell the mildew.”

Maguire said the Skyview Shopping Center’s Key Food has slightly improved in certain areas, such as within the store’s deli department.

“Key Food is our main store for food shopping,” John Leahy said who has lived in Riverdale for nearly 13 years. “The physical condition of the store is horrifying.”

Another resident sees the whole situation as “appalling.”

“Apparently, the people who are leasing the store refuse to put any money into renovation,” Tatyana Gourov said.

Gourov added the store has a wonderful staff who does the best they can in “truly awful conditions.”

“The store has been in a state of serious disrepair for many years,” she added.

In July 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Key Food temporarily closed under the previous ownership of brothers Kevin and Jaime Luna. The specific reason as to why the supermarket closed remains unclear.

Two months later, the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) sued Key Food’s previous owners, the Lunas, along with new owner NR Shop for more than $200,000 in total after the alleged firing of 21 Key Food employees during the pandemic, as previously reported by The Press.

Just more than six months later, in January 2021, The Press reported Key Food had settled the union dispute after they paid $90,000 and rehired more than a dozen employees at their original hours and pay.

The Key Food’s most recent violation occurred in August 2022 but was unrelated to the conditions of the supermarket’s ceilings, according to NYC Department of Buildings’ Building Information System.

Last week, a representative from Key Food headquarters based in Matawan, New Jersey told The Press they reached out to the North Riverdale Key Food owner for more information.

The Press also reached out to the state’s Department of Health regarding the agency’s most recent inspection at the Key Food location and is awaiting response.