R
alph’s Coffee, the café arm of Ralph Lauren, plans to move from 160 Fifth Ave to 140 Fifth Ave at 19th Street, a ground‑floor retail condo in Flatiron. The relocation has triggered a lawsuit from the building’s 19 loft residents, who argue that the lease forbids restaurants and that the café would repeat the problems that plagued a former Russian‑themed eatery: noise, trash and pests.

    The core of the dispute is the definition of a “restaurant.” The residents’ attorney cites Merriam‑Webster, which defines a restaurant as a place where meals or refreshments are sold. Ascot Properties’ counsel, Brian W. Shaw, counters that Ralph’s falls under an “eating and drinking establishment,” a broader category that includes bars and coffee shops. He references a 2015 application that lists any venue offering food or drinks for purchase or consumption as such.

    Both parties declined to comment further, and Ralph Lauren representatives were unresponsive.

    Ralph’s serves coffee, pastries, sandwiches and pre‑prepared foods, operating from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The space has previously housed Aveda and, before that, Nasha Rasha, a Russian‑food joint that operated for less than three years. The former restaurant left a legacy of odors, noise and vermin that the co‑op board’s president described as “disastrous.”

    The building’s zoning permits most commercial uses, but a permitted‑use agreement—established after the restaurant left—prohibits restaurants, bars, alcohol and live music, while allowing a juice bar. It also restricts food to non‑vented appliances and bans odors and loud sounds. The agreement makes no mention of coffee shops.

    The lawsuit alleges that Ralph’s would generate “thunderous” sidewalk noise and permeate the lofts with coffee and food odors, making the residences unbearable. The complaint also claims that the café’s outdoor seating would exceed the noise limits set in the agreement.

    Ascot Properties plans to renovate the 739‑sq‑ft space, moving walls and installing new finishes, a ramp and fixtures. The building was purchased by Ascot in 2016 for $6.4 million; Ralph’s would pay $20,000 a month, with a build‑out of eight to nine months.

    Shaw rebuts the noise claim as speculative, urging the residents to wait for actual problems before seeking injunctive relief.