Tavern On The Green Closes Next Week

[UPDATE 1/1/2010 - Click to page 2 for an article and videos about the closing.]

The legendary restaurant Tavern on the Green, where Louis was refused entry because they don't allow pets, will have its last seating on December 31, 2009 after 75 years of service. In September, the LeRoy family, who has owned the restaurant since 1974, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, due to the financial crisis and New York City's decision to give the Tavern license to a new operator, Dean J. Poll. As reported by the New York Times, the LeRoys' license has been extended to February 14th to allow the family enough time to remove the items it owns and to conduct an auction of the restaurant's famous interior and exterior fixtures and topiaries. The auction, which will be conducted by Guernsey's auction house, will be held on-site in the Crystal Room on January 13th and 14th (though you can also bid in absentia via telephone, e-mail or internet). Previews will be held on-site January 6-12 from 12-8 PM each day. Poll, who takes over in February with his new 20-year license, plans to renovate with green technology. However, he may not be allowed to use the Tavern on the Green name. The LeRoys and the City are embroiled in a trademark dispute over the name, though Poll has registered Tavern in the Park as an alternative.

It is unknown when Poll's new Tavern will open, but even if it retains the name, it certainly won't be the same place that everyone has known and loved for the past 35-75 years. So if you want to celebrate the real Tavern's last Christmas or New Years, make your reservations right away.

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