Danny Meyer is closing two New York restaurants in a hotel turned refugee shelter
Two New York restaurants owned by restaurateur Danny Meyer will close this month as the historic hotel that houses them is cleared to house asylum seekers.
The Redbury Hotel, a NoMad landmark, began housing migrants earlier this month as the city struggles to accommodate over 57,000 asylum seekers each night.
Meyer-led Union Square Hospitality Group announced Friday that Marta and Maialino (vicino), who are at the Redbury, will have their final service on August 25. Esser reported.
While a spokesman initially said the temporary accommodation of the migrants would have no impact on the operations of either restaurant, the group released a statement on Friday sharing news of the change.
“We are disappointed to announce that Marta and Maialino (vicino) will cease operations at the Redbury,” the statement said.
“As tenants of the Redbury, our two restaurants, located on the lobby level, have been eagerly awaiting the hotel’s full reopening following the pandemic. As the Redbury is now working with the city to accommodate asylum seekers, it has become clear that the reopening schedule has been extended indefinitely.”
The statement continued, “While we admire and respect Redbury’s decision, the profitability of our business depends heavily on hotel-related F&B operations, including venues and the lobby bar, spaces that are now unavailable for our use. “
“We remain fully supportive of the Redbury initiative and will continue to advocate for a policy change that expedites work permits for asylum seekers.”
Maialino, a restaurant and wine bar previously operated at the Gramercy Park Hotel, began operating as Maialino (vicino) at the Redbury last fall.
The second restaurant, Marta, a pizzeria, opened in 2014 when the Redbury was still the Martha Washington Hotel. In 2015, the hotel was purchased for $158 million and renamed the Redbury.
It wasn’t immediately clear if the two restaurants would reopen in new locations.
The unfortunate news for New York foodies comes as Mayor Eric Adams’ administration is struggling to keep up with the tide of migrants who have left the Big Apple at its breaking point.
Adams announced earlier this month that the total refugee crisis is expected to cost a whopping $12 billion over the next three years.
A state source also told the Post that taxpayers would need to find $20 million a month — or $10,000 per asylum seeker — to house 2,000 migrants on Randall’s Island.
The latest influx has spread to city streets, including in Manhattan, where dozens of migrants have been forced to sleep on the sidewalks in front of Midtown’s Roosevelt Hotel when the makeshift reception center was full.
Meanwhile, Hochul had promised to add Floyd Bennett Field, a former military airfield in Brooklyn, to its list of state-funded shelters — but White House officials refused to sign off on the plan, dealing her a serious blow.
