FOOD NEWS
What Makes A New York City Convenience Store A Bodega
BY BRIAN UDALL
According to the New York Health Department, a bodega has three requirements to be called such: No more than two cash registers, it must sell milk, and it sells mostly food.
You can often find cigarettes, lottery tickets, and household necessities inside. Many are open until late into the night or even a full 24 hours, making them highly convenient.
There isn't really a major difference between bodegas and convenience stores and is a regional difference in dialect, more than anything.
There are estimated to be more than 13,000 bodegas in NYC, which means that no matter where you go, there's always going to be one just around the corner.