Multiple readers have shared the news that The Joint closed earlier this month on Third Avenue between 12th Street and 13th Street. (The first report that I heard was on Jan. 5.)
There's now a for rent sign on the space. The cheesesteak specialists started as 99 Miles to Philly in February 2005. They rebranded as The Joint this past July. Here's what 99 Miles partner Neil Barsky told me at that time:
"After 12 years and outlasting every other cheeseteak joint that did not have a bar attached to it, we could no longer survive the costs of doing business in NYC with only having basically one product," he said via email. "We had a choice — close or take advantage of the vacancies left by the closing of Blue 9 and other restaurants in the area. We felt by rebranding with an expanded new menu, which will ... feature Pat LaFrieda's burgers, specialty hot dogs and monthly specialty sandwiches, we could continue to survive and keep good people employed."
I did not hear back about this closure.
The Joint's neighbor, Blue 9 Burger, closed earlier in 2017. That space remains on the rental market...