Manhattan restaurant opens its doors to homeless looking for a warm place to sleep


Ali Baba opens its vestibule, which has a heat lamp, up to homeless individuals looking for a place to sleep when it’s cold out. (PIX11)

NEW YORK CITY, N.Y. —  A Manhattan restaurant has opened its doors to homeless individuals in need of warm places to sleep this winter.

Ali Baba, located at the intersection of 46th Street and Second Avenue, has a heat lamp set up in its vestibule, which is open to people in need, according to WPIX.

“We’re trying our best,” manager Mursel Ilker Yalbuzdag said. “It comes from the heart.”

Two people slept under the warmth of the heat lamp Saturday night as New Yorkers dealt with freezing temperatures. Temperatures will warm up this week, but the vestibule of Ali Baba will stay open until the end of winter for homeless people looking for a place to sleep.

The restaurant also saves food for the homeless. They hosted a Thanksgiving dinner last year where the restaurant fed around 100 people.
