[
EVG photo from February]
More details have emerged about
the closing of Yaffa Cafe at 97 St. Mark's Place.
In a Facebook post last week, the folks at Yaffa said, "The city closed our garden, one of our not friendly neighbours complained to the building department, and they came and put 35 families out of work."
In an interview yesterday with
DNAinfo's Lisha Arino, Yaffa manager Ron Ramati elaborated.
As previously reported, Yaffa was hit with
the double whammy of a DOH temporary closure as well as a notice to discontinue use of their backyard garden.
To DNA:
Ramati ... said he was puzzled by the timing of a recent health inspection, as well as a partial vacate order the city slapped on his backyard dining area, since the patio had been in use for decades and advertised publicly by the restaurant.
“Suddenly, after 31 years, it’s illegal?” Ramati said.
Ramati said the combination of the fines and the ban on using the 100-seat backyard space, leaving only 75 seats inside, meant the longtime restaurant could no longer stay in business.
As for the inspection...
Ramati also complained that the inspector also spent nine hours at a restaurant, a move he found unusual, he said.
“I’ve never seen ever the health department being there for nine hours and being so vicious and rude,” he said, explaining that the inspector spoke "very brutally" to the kitchen and wouldn't let staff serve meals to customers.
If you're not Yaffa-ed out, then you can check out
this essay at
Brooklyn Magazine. "[I]n the midst of the bank construction and the influx of NYU frat bros, there was a shining light: The Yaffa Cafe."
Previously on EV Grieve:
A Google ad now covers the iconic Yaffa Cafe mural on St. Mark's Place
Yaffa Cafe will be back, though likely without its backyard garden
Yaffa Cafe is officially gone; back garden dismantled
More about Yaffa Cafe closing
