By Gus Saltonstall
Jake’s Dilemma, the incredibly popular Upper West Side bar at 430 Amsterdam Avenue, will close next month after more than three decades of business, the restaurant announced Tuesday on its Instagram.
“After 32 years on the Upper West Side, we’re heartbroken to share that we lost our lease, and Jake’s Dilemma will close its doors on October 18,” the bar wrote. “Jake’s has been so much more than a bar. It’s been late nights, game days, first dates, bad decisions, lifelong friendships, incredible staff, and more stories than we could ever fit into one post.”
The bar, located on Amsterdam Avenue, between West 80th and 81st streets, describes itself as “an old school pub vibe mixed with a downtown bar atmosphere boasting an outdoor café.” It was known for its late-night hours, sports-watching options, and dance floor.
“We still have a little time left, so come have One Last Round with us before October 18,” the watering hole added on its social media post.
Jake’s Dilemma is under the same ownership as The Gin Mill, which is located nearby at 442 Amsterdam Avenue. “And while Jake’s is closing, the party isn’t. You’ll still find us right next door at The Gin Mill, waiting with open arms.”
View this post on Instagram
Comments on the bar’s closing announcement immediately flooded in.
“’Heartbreak’ doesn’t even feel adequate. Jake’s is significantly responsible for the life I have today: including numerous lifelong friendships, a happy marriage, and my unwavering ability to throw back a shot of Tully,” one patron wrote.
Another commenter penned, “Wow! A staple of the UWS and the BEST stretch of Amsterdam Avenue. Thank you for it All!”
West Side Rag will update this story if we can find specifics on what happened with the lease.
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So sad to see this
I haven’t been myself in many years but it is a neighborhood staple and will be missed!
Sorry, how the hell are landlords letting businesses lose their leases? Places are starting vacant for years. So sad to see another business close
Retail space mortgages often have debt service coverage ratio covenants that will force a lessor into technical default if the rent falls below a certain threshold relative to monthly payments.
Rates are going up. Monthly payments are going up. Landlords *have* to raise rents.
Greed of landlords. They couldn’t care less about putting restaurants out of business or people out of work.
Wouldn’t it be more likely that landlords are CAUSING businesses to lose their leases? When they raise the rent too steeply at one go, the businesses have lfew options except to close.
The bar and lounge is great the owner is amazing we had parties from the largest part of Manhattan in New York City there in Jake dilemma … but some ladies hunters there that take free drinks movebadly in bar and that makes clients never come back again. Please check the invoice of regular and bartender friends we can’t be charged like the other staying there all evening and night paying a dims we see all
Once more— this time in English, please
Morocco should explain it in Darija!
Jake’s didn’t lose their lease. 430 Amsterdam Partners, which shares the same managing partners as Jake’s, sold the building in May.
? Why do you think this means they didn’t lose their lease? Maybe the new building owner didn’t renew the lease, or asked for an exorbitantly larger rent. I don’t even see how these two things contradict each other
This is a great bit of information, and explains why the number of years in business isn’t a round number corresponding to a typical lease term.
Yet another business deciding to close after a good run, but falsely blaming “the landlord”. Which, in this case, was themselves for decades!
Yeah, I’m guessing that they also tried to negotiate a lease into the sale but the new owner saw it as a low-ball offer. Possibly didn’t cover the costs and loan payments required to make the purchase possible. At that point, 430 had a choice to sell the building or to keep it and continue to run Jake’s. They decided to sell. This is a business decision freely entered into by both parties and yet some people just blindly blame “greedy landlords” because it conforms to their world view.
But it’s not a great piece of information. It has a new owner; maybe the new owner didn’t renew the lease.
If you are selling the building and you also lease the commercial space from yourself, typically you also negotiate the commercial rent before you sell the building.
I suspect (but do not know) that since the lease was originally negotiated between an owner and tenant who were the same that it was not at market levels. The new buyer could be expect to flag that and say “I’m happy to have the bar stay but only at a market-equivalent rent”. So as part of the purchase the seller would agree to end the lease. One assumes that the seller is good at math and that the deal was, all in, to its satisfaction.
Spot on, no way they were paying themselves a market rent. They decided to sell the building, cash out what was likely a great investment over time.
I agree, Rick.
Which is why I think saying that they “lost our lease” is potentially a disingenuous explanation compared to “we sold the building” (assuming that’s what happened here).
Definitely important to have relatively inexpensive, fun bars in the neighborhood but I sadly aged out of the Jake’s demographic many years ago.
Drink at home.
No you didn’t 🙂
My literal home for over 10 years (I was a resident of 430 Amsterdam Ave), very sad to be losing it. Can confirm that 430 Amsterdam Partners owned the building and the bar, so makes sense that selling the bar preceeded this. They were the best landlords I ever had – I moved in during the 2009 recession and they only raised my rent when they finally had to. Very nice folks as well
Can you clone them?
They had two UWS locations, maybe time to open a location outside Manhattan.
I celebrated my 21st birthday at this place back in July 2001, and it was a nice atmosphere. The people there were easy going and the place was well kept and it had a good variety of music being played that night. I passed by this bar many times after my first visit and I never got a chance to go back in
Fine landlords who let storefronts go vacant for lengthy periods.
This city is going to be nothing but bike lanes, pot shops and oversized apartment buildings. No more neighborhoods. Sad.
And the herds of nail salons.
Like some commenters say — everything in moderation! ENJOY!
My dilemma is — why are people still drinking alcohol when the science says just one drink harms your liver? Please inform.
Why are people still not taking action to stop rapid climate change when science clearly says action is necessary? Why do people not do anything they “should” be doing? Because human, that’s why. Are you one?
ugh… these kids. Absolutely no perspective
It’s called living Katy. Everything in moderation. Salt is bad, sugar is bad, alcohol is bad, caffeine is bad, the air is bad. We can’t all lock ourselves in a closet and survive on celery. Besides, if it weren’t for the “social lubricant” that alcohol provides, half the population would never have sex. Lol! Lighten up, have a cocktail once in a while. Enjoy your life. Peace.
Is everything you consume good for you?
I don’t go out of my way to harm myself.
Retail businesses live forever only if they own their real estate.
I.e. – Zabars
Jacky will be missed and some of Friday goers too. Central Park will be always there bars moves and bartenders are the best like Jacky