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Saturday will be the last night for Nick & Toni's Cafe, the Lincoln Center offshoot of the legendary Hamptons celebrity haunt.
The restaurant, which has been open since 1994, drew such regulars as Tony Danza, Liam Neeson, Howard Stern, Regis Philbin, and Alan Alda. The restaurant served a Mediterranean influenced menu similar to the stalwart out East that precedes the in-town location by nearly a decade.
"The cost of doing business in the city no longer allows us to operate our business,'' managing partner Mark Smith told Eater. "I'm proud of what we accomplished but our lease was up and we tried to negotiate, but the economics have become untenable.''
Husband-wife co-owners, Jeffrey Salaway and Toni Ross opened the East Hampton restaurant in 1988. In 2001, Salaway died in a car crash over Labor Day weekend. Ross remains a partner, along with Smith and others. Nick & Toni’s Cafe is part of Honest Man Restaurant Group that includes La Fondita, Townline BBQ, and Rowdy Hall in the Hamptons.
