Last night, a DOH inspector found enough violations points to close Mission Chinese Food. As you may recall, the restaurant was also shuttered by the DOH last month. Chef/owner Danny Bowien tells Eater that he and his team are going to rebuild the restaurant's back dining room and make some big changes elsewhere. The restaurant will stay closed until the necessary changes are made. Bowien explains: "We'll reopen when we're ready to reopen."
Earlier this morning, Eater chatted with Bowien about the closure and his future plans. Here's what's going on:
We've been struggling with this space since we took it over. I had no idea what I was doing when I opened here. We got this space, it was a really awesome deal, but I realized that it wasn't up to code — the back space is a wooden structure. There's a big condominium going up there, behind the restaurant, and they started digging. It's the Lower East Side, so we've been inundated with a pest problem, and we had no one to point the finger at but ourselves. We did everything we could... we're working with our landlord, and we've basically, come to the conclusion that we have to close the restaurant.Bowien also says that the revamp of Mission Chinese Food will not affect the opening of Mission Cantina up the block.It's not a cleanliness issue — we didn't have the cleanest kitchen in the world, but we fixed it. It's something where we have to start with the problem — the area around the building. We feel like we could reopen, but I don't want to run the risk the second time.
I don't want anyone to feel sorry for us. It's a reality check for us. My concern is my staff, and everyone that works here. In order to make it a sustainable thing for all of us, we have to rebuild. We're the luckiest restaurant in the world — we've experienced the highest of the highs. How we respond to adversity is what defines us as a restaurant, and taking responsible actions.
· All Coverage of Mission Chinese Food [~ENY~]