The Shutter: Payard Closes One Month Early Due to Rent

Upper East Side: Just a month ago, Francois Payard notified the media that he would close his landmark patisserie and bistro Payard and lay off his 74 employees in August unless his greedy landlord changed his mind about raising the rent by 50%. Apparently, no compromise was met. Yesterday a tipster reported, and a visit to the storefront this morning confirmed, that Francois shut her down a month early. Dunzo. Payard is looking for a new location, and in the meantime Tastings, their catering company, is fully functioning and has absorbed some of the patisserie and bistro employees.
· Greedy Landlord Forces Payard to Seek New Location [~E~]