Sasha Muniak's Centro Vinoteca and Mangia File for Chapter 11

The troubles are piling up for restaurateur Sasha Muniak. Crain's reports that both Centro Vinoteca and the 57th St. location of Mangia, his mini-chain of Italian cafes/take out spots, has filed for Chapter 11. Mangia reps tell the paper that Muniak hopes to find new investors and reorganize and that while catering business has been down, it's now on the rebound. That specific location owes over $300k to its landlord and up to $260k to the city (the amount is disputed).

Recently, Centro was briefly closed by the city for a paperwork issue, and its chef left under curious circumstances. Mangia was at the center of an odd discrimination lawsuit, which they're calling extortion. Meanwhile, listings show that Muniak put his other restaurant Gusto on the market in September, and a number of potential new tenants (including, we hear, Michael White) have toured the space.
· Italian Eatery Mania Files for Bankruptcy [Crain's]
· Real Estate Moves and the Tenuous State of Gudto [~ENY~]
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