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| New York's Tavern on the Green. Photo: Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images |
Jennifer Oz LeRoy, the chief executive of the restaurant, said the Chapter 11 filing is "our only alternative given the current situation." On Aug. 28, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation awarded Dean Poll a 20-year operating license for the space on the west side of Central Park. The LeRoy family has run the restaurant since the 1970s.
But will Tavern on the Green remain open in the interim?
"We plan to honor all of our obligations to our loyal employees and customers until our lease expires at the end of the year," LeRoy said in a statement released to Slashfood.
According to a report in the New York Times, the restaurant owes 20 creditors including the New York Hotel Trades Council (owed $1,778,764), American Express ($79,096) and the parks department ($76,923).
Poll's plans to rehab the restaurant include $25 million in capital improvements, including the addition of green technologies, as well as preserving both the original Victorian structure as well as the 1950s renovation. He'll take over the lease on Jan. 1, 2010. It's unclear whether or not the space will retain the Tavern on the Green name.
Tavern on the Green
Carriages and taxi cabs take diners to the fabled Tavern on the Green in New York City. The city's Parks Department has called for proposals for a new leaseholder for the historic eatery, hoping for a major renovation of the landmark to better integrate the Tavern into Central Park. In Aug. 2009, they awarded the bid to Dean Poll, who runs the Loeb Boathouse in the park.
manicmaurice, Flickr
The entrance to New York's Tavern on the Green in New York City. Operated by the LeRoy family since the 1970s, the restaurant could change hands as the New York City Parks Department calls for proposals for a major renovation and new 20-year lease of the historic site. The family hopes to win the lease from the city.
thomwatson, Flickr
Lanterns hang from the white-lit trees at the Tavern on the Green restaurant in Central Park. The Tavern was originally a Victorian Gothic barn called the Sheepfold, which housed the herd that grazed on Sheep Meadow in the 19th century. The restaurant is reportedly the most successful in New York and may soon change hands as New York calls for proposals for the historic space for a new 20-year lease.
Jose Azel, AURORA Getty Images
Lanterns decorate the trees at night in the courtyard of Tavern on the Green in New York City.
Kate Allen, Flickr
Tavern on the Green guests dine under the lanterns in the courtyard of the famed restaurant.
Kate Allen, Flickr
The courtyard of Tavern on the Green in Central Park, New York City.
Paul Hawthorne, Getty Images
New York's Tavern on the Green as seen from a street within Central Park.
thomwatson, Flickr
Tavern on the Green in New York's Central Park as seen from a drive within the park.
Majorie Lipan, Flickr
Tell us your memories of Tavern on the Green in the comments below.
[Via New York Times]
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