Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Fat Cat Kitchen closes on 14th Street


[EVG photo from September 2018]

Fat Cat Kitchen, a quick-serve cafe serving quality sandwiches, salads and baked goods at 223 E. 14th St., shut down yesterday after more than 2.5 years in business.

In an Instagram post, married chefs C.J. and Björn Holm put the blame on the landlord...


In September 2018, the DOH shut down Fat Cat here between Second Avenue and Third Avenue following an inspection. The issue stemmed from a broken pipe in the basement that the owners said they didn't have access to...


[EVG photo from September 2018]

According to public records, 223 E. 14 ST. LLC is the landlord, having purchased the building in 2009. The LLC shares an address with the Metropolitan Property Group.

Earlier this year, Fat Cat ran afoul of the Department of Health again — this time for selling food with CBD, the legal compound derived from cannabis. During a routine visit on Feb. 1, a DOH official gathered up a reported $1,000 worth of CBD edibles, putting them in a zip-lock bag and marking them as "embargoed."

The DOH had a murky policy that their own personnel apparently couldn't even explain.

As Eater reported at the time:

DOH visited at least two other times in the recent past and did not mention the CBD products, even though Fat Cat Kitchen advertises the treats with a sign outside the restaurant...

“I mean, this is crazy,” [C.J.] Holm says, alleging that at least two city staffers did not know what CBD was when she called for more information. “They couldn’t even intelligently explain to me exactly what the problem was when I spoke to them on the phone.”

Fat Cat Kitchen opened in May 2017. It was a nice spot with a friendly staff and owners who liked being part of the neighborhood. It's the kind of place that we need more of around here...
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5 comments:

  1. AnonymousDecember 18, 2019 at 8:46 AM

    "It's the kind of place that we need more of around here..."

    Exactly! This is such a shame. A small business being bullied into closure. You can't win with this city.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousDecember 18, 2019 at 11:00 AM

    Awful. I really liked this place, and the staff were always friendly, helpful, and truly seemed to love what they did.

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownDecember 18, 2019 at 10:53 PM

    Thank you for your kind words. We will miss serving the neighborhood. :(

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousDecember 19, 2019 at 2:14 AM

    The owners and staff were incredible. I loved seeing them at the midsummer festival in battery park as well. This is sad news. Best of luck to truly wonderful people.

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousDecember 19, 2019 at 10:21 AM

    Come back soon, Fat Cat. There are plenty of spaces nearby, ones with copacetic landlords, good foot traffic, and opportunities for growth. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete

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