Milite told Forbes that rent had become “unusually high,” accounting for close to 27 percent of the restaurant’s gross revenues. The rising cost of rent and wages were reportedly behind the closure.įorbes had a piece back on Friday with Coffee Shop co-owner and president Charles Milite - who opened the space in 1990 with two other Wilhelmina models, Eric Petterson and Carolyn Benitez - that provides some perspective on the challenges of running a presumably successful restaurant here and now and in the future. (You can find photos from the last day at Gothamist.) Live Bait,” one said.As you probably know, the Coffee Shop closed Sunday on Union Square after 28 years in business. On Monday, shell-shocked diners nibbled on over-seasoned tortilla chips and lackluster burrito bowls and asked their servers what had happened. The owners have not yet returned Eater’s request for comment.įrom its first day in 1987, Live Bait lured patrons with its neon sign, a beacon for happy hour regulars and Flatiron tourists looking for respite. Others have yet to learn the new menu items, which includes tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and the like, with one bartender unable to make a Paloma, on the new cocktail list.įishing-themed décor still lines the walls and bartenders still wear their Live Bait shirts and hats, but a sign outside clearly advertises the restaurant as Flats Fix. Long-time staffers at Live Bait arrived for their usual shifts last week only to find their schedules and job descriptions had been rewritten to meet the needs of the new “taco y tequila bar.” One tells Eater his regular hours had been cut down to one-sixth of what they had been, forcing him to seek additional work elsewhere. Owners didn’t inform staff of the quick change, multiple employees say. After 31 years of serving up dollar oysters, fried pickles and cold beer, quirky Flatiron Southern restaurant Live Bait shuttered suddenly last Tuesday, and an outpost of Union Square taqueria Flats Fix opened in its place the very next day.
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