Chelsea Classic La Lunchonette Gets Reprieve; Will Stay Open Through End of the Year

Last October, Melva Max, the owner of 28-year-old Chelsea French restaurant and art-world hangout La Lunchonette said she would need to close by June 2015. But, that date has come and gone, and the restaurant is still serving its beouf bourguignon and escargot, reports DNAinfo. Max now says on Facebook that the restaurant's landlord has given her the green light to stay open through the end of the year. Last fall, Max told Jeremiah Moss that the High Line was to blame for La Luncheonette's (and her) demise:

The neighborhood is so gross now....It's all tourists coming for the High Line. People always say, ‘But wasn't it great for you?' The High Line has been the cause of my demise....It feels like Disneyland around here now.

At the time, Max said: "My landlord's not a bad guy, but how you can you say no to offers of $30 million?" With that sum, it sounds like the landlord is selling the building to a developer.