A storm is brewing in Bryant Park. Bryant Park Grill’s long-term lease is formally up. Famous person chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s restaurant group already has a signed deal to swipe up its 1,000-seat setup and get to work on a snazzy renovation. However as a substitute of handing over the keys to its high-profile substitute, the 30-year-old grill isn’t budging — at the least, for now — whereas litigation ensues.
“We’re right here for the indefinite future. There’s no finish date proper now. It’s tied up in courts however we’re right here for now, working as regular,” a Bryant Park Grill worker instructed Eater by telephone on Tuesday evening. Resy nonetheless reveals availability for bookings, with no blackout dates in sight. A Mom’s Day menu for Sunday, Could 11, additionally pops up on its website.
On Wednesday, Bryant Park Grill despatched out a press launch that pulls no punches. “Preliminary court docket proceedings have revealed the rigged choice course of orchestrated by BPC’s Dan Biederman that if authorized would: Shut restaurant for a yr or longer — placing 250 New Yorkers out of a job; use public cash to provide Seaport a yr of free hire whereas area sits empty; settle for $1 million much less in annual hire than plaintiff’s bid; and all whereas overlooking Seaport’s well-documented monetary instability and plan to lift costs on New Yorkers,” it reads.
The discharge additionally asserts that nonprofit landlord Bryant Park Corp. has allegedly supplied “$2 million to Seaport for capital enhancements and over a yr of free hire — giveaways not supplied to Bryant Park Grill or the opposite finalists.”
Final fall, it got here to gentle that the practically 30-year-old Bryant Park Grill was being pushed out by Bryant Park Corp. The glass-enclosed restaurant with two out of doors cafes and an enormous seasonal rooftop hit the bidding block final yr forward of Bryant Park Grill’s lease expiration date. Jean-Georges Eating places was the chosen new operator out of 11 candidates, which included the incumbent tenant.
Bryant Park Grill is the crown jewel of Ark Eating places, a publicly traded hospitality group behind oyster bars in Alabama, burger locations in Vegas, and seafood spots in Florida. Ark launched a “Assist Save Bryant Park Grill” marketing campaign final fall to salvage its tony restaurant that employs 250.
A December group board battle make clear the inner drama, with the nonprofit’s government director Dan Biederman saying Bryant Park Grill has “gotten just a little drained” and “it is a enterprise choice.” In consequence, Bryant Park Grill’s proprietor Michael Weinstein sued the park, Seaport Leisure Group (Vongerichten’s administration firm), and different affiliated entities in state Supreme Courtroom, claiming the choice course of was “flawed.”
Final week, nevertheless, Ark’s separate request for an injunction to dam an eviction was denied by a choose — giving the owner the runway to train its authorized proper to take action. Which it’ll; per an electronic mail to Eater on Wednesday, Biederman says: “Bryant Park Company intends to abide by the court docket choice issued final week and can train its rights on the conclusion of the present operator’s lease.”
Bryant Park Grill, the Parisian-styled standby subsequent to the long-lasting New York Public Library since 1995, helped revitalize Midtown park in a giant approach over time. It’s allegedly one of many nation’s highest-grossing eating places, with $25 million in annual income.
A brand new restaurant led by a well-known chef with Michelin-starred credentials may generate as much as $40 million in gross sales, Biederman says. Which means extra income for the park, which will get zero {dollars} from Manhattan itself.
Jean-Georges already has over a dozen New York-based areas, together with his namesake, Perry St, Nougatine, JoJo, the Mark, and the Fulton amongst them. He’s on a NY growth tear as of late, having just lately rolled out Midtown’s energy spot 4 Twenty 5 and debuted buzzy personal supper membership Chez Margaux, together with his first Brooklyn challenge — a 300-seat ABC trilogy — on the best way.
April 30 1:25 p.m.: This text was up to date to incorporate extra particulars.
