Carnival: The New Name For New McDonald’s Fruit Corner

New McDonald’s Fruit Corner has a new owner, Ilker Karakaya (pictured on the left, with manager Jose Hernandez) and soon a new name: Carnival. A veteran of 15 years in the business, the 41-year-old Ilker tells us he’s also the buyer for 50 Manhattan fruit vendors, enabling him to buy produce at greatly discounted prices. That means Carnival’s customers should expect better prices, he says. Already, you can find whole watermelon at Carnival for 39 cents/pound, a good 30 cents cheaper than elsewhere.

In addition to the name change, over the coming months Ilker plans to clean up and improve the market’s appearance, while still maintaining its 24-hour operation. He now holds the lease on the two adjacent Church Avenue stores and anticipates the expansion of his stand to the entire triangle-shaped block, from Beverley Road to E 2nd Street.

Ilker himself lives in Astoria, with his Michigan-born wife and son. Expect plenty of blueberry specials to honor his wife’s taste and native state — at 100 million pounds per year, Michigan is the U.S.’s number one grower of “highbush,” or cultivated, blueberries (while Maine produces 98% of “lowbush,” or wild, blueberries).

Carnival, formerly New McDonald’s Fruit Corner, is located at 130 Church Ave at Beverley Road, and it’s open 24/7.