The city is planning some sort of “major capital project” at Tavern on the Green, but so far has been mum about what’s going there. Crain’s reported yesterday that the city has told the three food carts — Rickshaw Dumpling, Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, and Pera Turkish Taco — that have leases at Tavern that they won’t be renewed because the city will be doing work on the restaurant/visitor center. They will have to leave by Oct. 15, when their leases expire.
But what’s going there?
The Central Park Conservancy wasn’t sure, referring us to the city, and so far the city hasn’t been able to provide any information. The mayor’s office told Crain’s there were “no specific plans,” although the city has asked its Design and Construction department to look into the building’s “current conditions.”
The restaurant has been through some wild changes in the past two years. First it went bankrupt, after becoming saddled with debts even though it pumped out more revenue than any other New York restaurant. Then it closed down for good after a New Year’s bash heading into 2010. The city and Central Park conservancy awarded the space to Dean Poll, who runs the Boathouse, but he couldn’t come to terms with the union. After everything in the restaurant was auctioned off, the city decided to turn the space into a visitor’s center and park food carts in the courtyard that faces Sheep Meadow.
Now that Dean Poll has struck a deal with as new union representing the workers at the Boathouse, some are speculating that he could once again be the front-runner to open a restaurant in the space if the city issues a new request for proposals, the Wall Street Journal reported.
Photo by bitchcakesny via flickr.
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Francyne