Tavern on the Green to Close

The twinkling lights of New York's famed Tavern on the Green could dim this year should the city choose not to award a new lease to the family that operates the Central Park landmark.

The New York City Parks Department on Monday requested proposals for the renovation of the 25,000-square-foot restaurant west of the park's Sheep Meadow near 67th Street.

The restaurant has lured celebrities and tourists alike to its six fabled dining rooms -- including the glassed-in Crystal Room -- since 1976, after restaurateur Warner LeRoy reopened the Tavern following a $10 million renovation. The restaurant grossed more than $36 million alone in 2008, paying the city about $1.2 million for the space.

But it appears the city would now like a "significant renovation" of the restaurant giving it more of a connection to the park itself.
"Going forward, Parks envisions a restaurant which enjoys a synergy with the Sheep Meadow, Heckscher playground and ballfields, Literary Walk, Strawberry Fields and all the other areas of Central Park that make it one of the city's top tourist destinations," the city's request for proposals states.

The heart of the restaurant is a U-shaped 19th-century Victorian Gothic barn, the Sheepfold, which housed the park's sheep herd. It was converted in 1934 into a restaurant named Tavern on the Green, which didn't really gain nationwide appeal until LeRoy took over management of the space, transforming it into an opulent (and some might say ostentatious) dining space. Since the 2001 death of Warner LeRoy, the Tavern has been managed by his daughter Jennifer Oz LeRoy.

"The LeRoys have every intention of working with the city to continue serving the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors that come through their doors every year for generations to come," Michael Desiderio, the restaurant's chief operating officer said in a statement to Slashfood.

The family's 25-year lease with the city ends on Dec. 31.

The New York Observer reported Monday that Donald Trump, Danny Meyer and Drew Nieporent have been mentioned as possible contenders for a new 20-year lease that would give the city higher revenues for the space than currently paid.

And if the LeRoys lose out to someone else, the Tavern name could leave the park with them.

"Parks makes no representations or warranties that the successful proposer may operate the Premises under the name 'Tavern on the Green' absent a license from the former operator, Tavern on the Green Ltd. (formerly, LeRoy Adventures, Inc.), which claims trademark rights associated with the name 'Tavern on the Green,'" the proposal says.

Other Tavern vestiges, like the Crystal Room, must remain under the terms of a new lease.

The city will give tours to prospective restaurateurs in March and proposals for the site are due May 1.