Once Grand Tavern on the Green Will Become a Snack Bar

So the raping and pillaging of the historic Tavern on the Green was all for naught. Nine months after the city ousted the owners of the last 33 years, the LeRoy family, and four months after the restaurant's interior was publicly sold off bit by bit, talks between the new owner Dean Poll and the restaurant's union have officially dissolved. Now Mayor Bloomberg is turning the place into a snack bar while he awaits bids from a new group of brave, rich restaurateurs.

Because the existence of the union makes the restaurant incredibly expensive to run, and because the place has been stripped of all its former grandeur, the new owner would have to be crazy rich (or, well, crazy) to step in. Hence, the interest from the Ciprianis and Donald Trump. Says Trump, "Only a person with a lot of money can rebuild and resurrect Tavern. And I have a lot of money."

And if that doesn't work out, well...it will remain a snack bar. It should be noted that Gino and Cafe des Artistes are two other old timer restaurants offed by a union in the last year. Of course, the city wouldn't be in this mess had they left things as they were.
· Talks Fail; It’s Tavern Snack Bar for Now [NYT]
· All Tavern on the Green Coverage [~ENY~]