PicNic Market & Cafe, a restaurant on Broadway between 101st and 102nd streets, is closing after this weekend because of rising rent and other costs. The owners, however are looking for another place to set up shop, so please contact them if you know of anything.
Update: a commenter says they’ll be open through July.
Here’s their note to customers:
Dearest friends, neighbors and valued customers,
All good things must come to an end, and so it goes with PicNic. Our rent and monthly expenses have increased to the point where our beloved restaurant has become unsustainable. First, we wish to say what a joy it has been to cook for and serve you all these past ten years since we opened and how much it has meant to us to raise our daughter in an environment of good food, loving friends and solid community.
Second, we’d like to ask for your help! We are looking to start up a smaller, simpler operation, preferably in the neighborhood. IF ANYONE HAS A LEAD ON SUCH A PLACE, particularly if it comes with financial backing, please don’t be shy; let us know. We are still grappling with the possibility of staying put, hoping for a miracle – that phantom patron or eleventh hour investor. Failing that, we shall be moving on next week, so we would love for you all to come join us this weekend.
Eat well, dear friends. Live well!
With best wishes and sincere thanks to all of you,
Jean-Luc, Jennifer and Olivia
Photo via PicNic Facebook page.
Sad to see a business go under but it wasnt that good and pretty overpriced for the menu style.
So so sad. One of my fav places to eat on the UWS.
Good grief, at this rate, are we going to have any old-timey places left on the UWS? Or just banks and chains?
Yes you nailed it. Banks and chains it is and will only get worse.
New York looks like a third world country with the overflowing garbage bins and the filthy streets. What a shame. How did this happen. Surely no one uses these fast food restaurants banks and chain stores?
Feature Request: could west side rag install a counter on the main page showing how many times this ridiculous comment is made?
Only if landlords stop being greedy and the mom and pop shops can afford the rent and not only the banks, chains, etc.
As for Picnic, reliable, homey, and comfy. Apparently the newbies arriving like something the deleessh, artisanal, curated, and trendy.
Only if we get a counter to show how many times the same asinine reply is posted.
Let’s please keep the comments about PicNic, and not another endless back and forth. WSR
This is the end of life as we know it.
I like ridiculous comments and asinine responses! Hadn’t been to Picnic in a while, but it was agreeable enough, nice for weekend brunch. It was there about six years as I recall.
Picnic has been there far more than 6 years. I think it’s more than 10 years. Does anyone know how long? Sad to see it go.
According to the owners, in their letter reprinted in the article above, “we wish to say what a joy it has been to cook for and serve you all these past ten years since we opened”.
Now, they *are* only the owners, but I’m kind of inclined to take their word for the fact that they’ve been there 10 years.
I will sorely miss PicNic. I enjoyed the food; I enjoyed the atmosphere. Most of all, I enjoyed the staff. I hope the owners find an alternative location nearby. What a shame!
The sad thing is that rents are rising too high for any local businesses to stick around, but when they vacate, the spaces often sit empty for months or longer (Alouette, for example), becoming a sad eyesore in our neighborhood.
News – Picnic now plans to be open through July. Our server (longtime server there) told us this at lunch there today. My favorite dish here is the Alsatian TARTE FLAMBE, an appetizer – it is sort of a bacon pizza.
Agreed – not closing in the immediate future according to our waiter. Lovely place – hope it gets a reprieve. What is closing is the Rite Aid on 104th. Good riddance!
One of the most incredible restaurants on the UWS…These guys need to find a new home because there are so few authentic places…
Picnic is a real neighborhood place and hosted “Cafe Columbia”, where Columbia profs came and spoke.
obviously we need to do something about the rising commercial rents. Danny Meyer had an op-ed in the Times a few days ago where he proposed a form of commercial rent arbitration, as they do in London.
https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/03/opinion/danny-meyers-union-square-cafe-is-a-casualty-of-rising-rents.html
Was there last night. Waiter said about a 30% chance of staying open. The landlord wants more rent than a small neighborhood restaurant can possibly afford. The waiter told me how much, but probably not proper for me to post it.