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| Café des Artistes, Photo: NDX Photos |
According to the restaurant's voicemail, the Café was slated to reopen on Sept. 14 after being on "summer vacation" from Aug. 10 through Sept. 13. George and Jenifer Lang, the owners since 1975, have now chosen to forgo reopening and shut the storied restaurant doors forever.
The New York Times reports the economy and a union lawsuit regarding the restaurant falling behind on payments for medical insurance and welfare funds are to blame.
"It's a very sad day for us," Jenifer Lang told the Times. "It's a death in the family."
The Café des Artistes is located in the lobby of Hotel des Artistes on West 67th Street -- a block that because of its proximity to the Lincoln Center accumulated fierce culinary competitors like Picholine, Telepan and Bar Boulud over the years.
Opened in 1917 and known for its Old World charm and nude murals by Howard Chandler Christy, the restaurant garnered a following in large part due to this bygone-era charm.
The café lived up to its name because when it opened, artists lived and worked virtually everywhere within blocks of the restaurant.
Nine decades later, its dim lighting and classic French dishes catered to bachelors popping the question, Upper West Side characters like Woody Allen, and of course, artists.
As of now, it is unclear what will become of the landmark restaurant space.
[Via New York Times]
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8-31-2009 @6:34PM teltech54 said... It is always nice to see a store close as opposed to giving in to the Unions. Giving them the boot out the door should be an eye opener for the vampires but you know what will happen. These union slugs will go right on causing businesses to close and union workers will lose their jobs. Thank you small business owner for not giving in. Just like telling the union biotches to shove their jobs up their a$$.
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9-03-2009 @5:46PM Sally G said... Reply to Westmond, 8-31-2009 @ 3:23PM: I don't know whether LOL (for the sarcasm) or BOL (bawling out loud [for what has become of our country] is the more appropriate response. Our "dumbing down" and standards for quality have slipped with (or ahead of) the economy. From business and socioeconomic standpoints, another argument for divorcing health insurance from employment.
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8-31-2009 @7:27PM eileen said... Um yeah, if you like a 40 hour work week, employee rights, paid overtime, breaks and lunches, your health insurance (which by the way, in many jobs being in a union is the only way you can get it, most restaurant people do without any of these benefits), safe working conditions, etc, etc, etc...thank unions, people are so ignorant. The owners fell behind on bills, the economy sucks, unions have nothing to do with it.....enjoy the bennies at your jobs, dummies....so easy to bite the hand that feeds you.
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8-31-2009 @7:49PM danversdad said... Unions killed the auto and airline industry because
they wanted bigger and bigger increases.
The union heads are all thugs.
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8-31-2009 @7:54PM Mike said... Ahhhhh, another business ruinned by unions and lawyers.
What the hell is a union doing in a restaurant? If the working conditions and pay is so bad, quit, go get another job. Employees have ZERO invested in the business. Quite often the owner has EVERYTHING they own invested. This is one more example of socialism at work and the final end result. Redistribute the wealth until there is no more wealth. Now all y9ou have is unemployed people. Hoe the union is happy, the won.
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8-31-2009 @7:55PM penny said... Thanks Again...MR. OBAMANATION :(
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8-31-2009 @10:34PM strouseusa said... LISTEN!!!!!! We are divided ourselves arbitrarily into two camps, the "haves" and the "have nots".
EVERYTHING is now partisan. We are so hateful when we should be focused on living the good life. Compare how wonderful our lives are now in contrast with those lives of Americans in the 1920's, 30's, 40's, 50's, 60's, etc.
Politicians on both sides of the aisle are "fanning those flames". They aren't accountable when we can't see straight because of anger.
Unions vs business, minorities vs majorities, men vs women, old vs young, conservative vs progressive; the entire country is out of control screaming and yelling profanities and ugly platitudes.
Everything IS NOT a zero sum game; ie I win and you lose, period.
Calm down, love your families, laugh and live with confidence and don't let the politicians spread fear, animosity and anxiety.
Peace my brothers and sisters.
Peace
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8-31-2009 @10:36PM Maryanne said... USA AS WE KNEW IT IS DOWN THE TUBES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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8-31-2009 @11:08PM Mike said... I'm sure the smoking ban didn't help anything...
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8-31-2009 @11:42PM Denny said... Wayne....
It's your attitude that has helped to relegate unions to the back of the bus. Remove, gov't employees from the count and only 7% of workers have elected to be represented by a union. The average employee nowadays is much better educated and because of that, has more ability to move to a better job if he's unhappy where he's at. To say, that the owners sat at the table a agreed to make these payments might be true. They might have been able to afford them at the time they agreed, however, when the economy turned south the income wouldn't support those payments any longer. Look anywhere you have unions, and there is financial trouble. California is going broke, the unions, won't budge to help...finally, the Governor furloughed them..., the car companies, while their going broke, from contracts that were negotiated during better economic times...the unions refused to accept any cuts. The town I went to college in had a great company...good with it's customers, its employees, just a good civic minded company. Some fool started a move to get the union in. The owner told me, if they elect the union, the next day, I'll be done with it. He's had Hitachi after him for years to sell to them and kept stressing...their experience in working with unions. The union was voted in...a week later he sold the company. One year later...Hitachi, closed it down and moved it all to Japan. 1800 people, that had very good jobs were now out of work in a town that had very few employers that required skilled labor that paid more than minimun wage. There was a place for unions at one time. They leveled the playing field, however the leaders became corrupted and like the rest of the politicians, their every move had little to do with improving the lives of their members, but continuing their re-elections.
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8-31-2009 @11:41PM chris said... When are people going to stop saying "stupid" comments like Bush ruined the economy. ALL parties are to blame, Dems controlled the congress for the last two years of Bush's term. Old line Dems like Kennedy have been in office for decades. All parties are to blame. And, if your foolish enough to believe ANY politician actually cares what middle class america wants or needs, your sadly mistaken. I remember a comment made by a spokesmen for the Democrats (again, doesn't matter what party), But he summed it all up " We need to get our candidates in office to further our parties causes and agendas". Not one word about getting the best person for the country in office, only whats best for "the party".
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9-01-2009 @12:01AM Steve Gee said... I lived near the Cafe des Artistes when I lived in NYC. I now reside in Las Vegas but miss the intimacy of the restaurant. It was off the beaten path tucked in the middle of West 67th Street. All good things come to an end. Sleep well, Cafe Art. I will miss you to the end of my days.
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9-01-2009 @1:44AM Michael Kline said... I first ate there in 1961. I said at that time..."this will never last."
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9-01-2009 @1:34PM Union Maid said... No one had a problem w unions when they helped pull the economy up during and after WWII, creating the middle class. Now after successive administrations have ruined the economy suddenly unions are bad. Every year thousands of restaurants go under in NYC and it has nothing to do with unions. It has to do with high rents, poor food and poor management. This place was probably failing for years. There simply wasn't anyone willing to pull the plug. Those arguing against the union are really saying the only way to make this restaurant profitable is by paying substandard wages to its workers and probably cheating its customers.
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