Meant to note this the other day... when the
Times reported that Danny Meyer's 30-year-old Union Square Cafe will be looking for a new home next year after a rent increase.
The article noted a recent spate of high-profile closings and a continuing rise in rents downtown. Among the restaurants facing a huge rent hike: the well-regarded
Hearth on East 12th Street at First Avenue. They were just hit with a 65 percent increase, according to the
Times.
There aren't any plans to close the place, but ...
[T]he chef and owner, Marco Canora, said his entire business model may have to change.
“I’m trying to be a smart businessman,” Mr. Canora said. “But I can’t do that at the cost of turning my back on my entire belief system and serving commodity pork and Perdue chicken.”
Meanwhile, here's one way to help increase revenue: Hearth has applied for a sidewalk cafe. They are on the docket for the CB3/SLA committee meeting on July 14.