'Krepat, ma ne molat!': The Croatian motto that inspired Harlem Shake
Reeling from a job loss and an expensive divorce, Jelena Pasic was alone in New York City raising two small children in 2010 and wondering where to turn next.
She found hope from an unlikely place: A saying from her hometown of Rijeka, which is on the northern coast of Croatia.
Krepat, ma ne molat!
That loosely translates to "I would rather die than give up!"
"Our symbol is a goat from where I am from," Pasic told the New York Business Journal. "That stubbornness kicked in and I promised myself, 'I am not going to fail. I am going to open my own place.' "
Three years later at the age of 40, Pasic fulfilled that promise by opening Harlem Shake, a fast-casual restaurant that serves burgers and milkshakes, on May 13, 2013, in Central Harlem. Today, Harlem Shake has two locations in New York City and will be opening a ghost kitchen called Harlem Shake Express LIC, which will be situated inside the Sunnyside Eats food hall.
Harlem Shake Express LIC, located at 40-05 Skillman Ave., will only offer delivery and take-out options and is expected to open in early June in Queen's Long Island City neighborhood. Harlem Shake will be celebrating its 10-year anniversary next week and is selling franchises in the United States. "I think in a microcosm of New York City where restaurants open and close on a yearly basis, 10 years is a great accomplishment because it strengthens the perception of this brand," Pasic said.
After first coming to Harlem in 2003, Pasic spent the next eight years attending the New York Sports Club gym a couple of times per week and grabbing drinks and coffee with people in the neighborhood. During that period, she made several relationships that proved valuable down the road. "These were some of my first friends in New York because I moved to New York in 2000," Pasic said. "Most of my friends are from Harlem because I really resonated with the culture there." Ellingston Clark, one of her friends from the gym, ended up finding a location in Harlem for Pasic's burger and milkshake concept Harlem Shake. "He got me real estate that wasn't on the market," Pasic said.
To finance the launch of Harlem Shake, Pasic took a $250,000 loan from nonprofit financial institution UMEZ/BRISC and $120,000 from outside investors. Two of Harlem Shake's early investors were Pasic's cousin Nenad Pasic and DarDra Coaxum, who's father was friends with Jelena Pasic.
As a single mother with two kids, Pasic was looking to open a concept that wouldn't require her to work late nights and would be convenient for her. She ended up moving two blocks from 100 W. 124th St., which would soon become Harlem Shake. "I knew that we had a proven winner of a neighborhood because Red Rooster and Corner Social had opened and they attracted crowds," Pasic said.
"We were also on the most beautiful boulevard in the city and two blocks down from Red Rooster. I thought eventually it was going to be fine." Her friend Ellingston Clark came up with the idea for the name Harlem Shake, which Pasic trademarked in December of 2012. The name was inspired by the original Harlem Shake not the internet meme that went viral in 2013. Pasic hired J. Kenji Lopez-Alt to create the menu for Harlem Shake. Lopez-Alt went on to become a well-known food writer. She also hired a designer Dennis Decker to create a vintage Harlem diner theme for Harlem Shake. "The inspiration for the theme came from places like St. Nick's Pub, Lenox Lounge, and Pam Pam," Pasic said.
Leading up to the opening of Harlem Shake in Central Harlem, the Harlem Shake meme went viral in February of 2013. As a result, Pasic's fast-casual concept Harlem Shake's Facebook page exploded. "We had a following before we even opened 26,000 likes on Facebook," Pasic said. "People just busted our doors when we opened. "To ensure locals didn't get the wrong idea, Pasic asked local graffiti artist Kindo Harper to write a message on the wooden shed around the restaurant that said the following: "Do the real Harlem Shake." She then hired the original Harlem shakers to do the real Harlem Shake in front of the graffiti. "We wanted to show everybody that our name doesn't come from the meme," Pasic said. "Our name comes from the real Harlem Shake."
A look at the exterior of Harlem Shake's Brooklyn location. (Photo by VALA KODISH)
Harlem Shake's second location opened in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood on October 7, 2021. "Park Slope is one of the most neighborhood-oriented neighborhoods in Brooklyn," Pasic said.
"It has a very similar vibe families with children and young couples. There is a lot of daytime business and its much more diverse these days." Last year, Harlem Shake's Brooklyn location brought in almost $2 million in revenue, while it's Harlem location had revenue of about $3.3 million.
Pasic expects revenue to grow about 25% this year. Now, having opened two brick-and-mortar retail locations, Pasic's is looking to acquire real estate to protect her concept. She said that she wants to have her own mixed-use building by the end of this year. "That's the one surefire way to make sure nobody closes you down one day," Pasic said.
"We don't go the way of Lenox Lounge, St. Nick's Pub and Pam Pam. All of these places shut down even though they were neighborhood institutions." Ultimately, Pasic hopes that her brand continues to be a celebration of Harlem culture. "When I started going to the gym and met all my friends, I realized they are a little bit like Croatians," Pasic said.
"They love sitting. They love chatting. They love gossiping. It's warm. Harlem people call it the village of Harlem." She added: "It's like a village. It's not that transient, big cold neighborhood that you find in New York City a lot of times. It's more of a community than you would expect in a huge metropolis. That's what I love about Harlem."
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