Avroko Hospitality will soon close Public, its 14 year-old Michelin charmer. According to the New York Times, the Nolita restaurant will close on Saturday, June 3rd.
While many restaurants are closing due to recent rent hikes and unmanageable wages, Public is forced to close this year due to construction going on in the building. FloFab notes: “The building it is in will undergo extensive renovations for about two years, making the restaurant space unworkable.”
Chef and Avroko partner Brad Farmerie tells Eater that relocating the Elizabeth Street restaurant wasn’t an option and that they worked tirelessly with the building to delay the construction. “It was completely out of our hands,” says Farmerie. “We had really no choice.”
Farmerie is staying onboard with the hospitality group that will continue to focus on its other projects including Saxon + Parole, and the Genuine brand (Genuine Roadside, Genuine Superette). “We’re going to concentrate on the Genuine restaurants, and we’ll be opening more of those.”
Farmerie tells Eater that the restaurant will celebrate its remaining months with special menus as well as feature chefs who used to work at the restaurant. “We’re closing a chapter of our lives, but we’re going to do it with the people we love.”
Public first opened in 2003 as a partnership between Farmerie and the then-obscure Avroko Hospitality. (Avroko went on to open and design restaurants like Saxon + Parole, Gotham West Market and Ghost Donkey most recently.)
In 2009, the restaurant received its first Michelin nod, and held onto its star for eight years. The restaurant also received James Beard Awards for best restaurant design and graphics. Public’s adjacent cocktail bar The Daily will be closing on June 3rd, too. Stay tuned for news on Public’s final farewell, and what’s next for Avroko and Farmerie.