Locals Plan to Fight Closure of Washington Heights Stalwart Coogan’s

Residents plan rally to save Coogan’s, an uptown mainstay

More than 14,000 people have signed a petition to save Coogan’s, a popular Washington Heights restaurant that’s changed with the times for more than 30 years. The restaurant — known for its inclusivity and sense of community — announced earlier this week that it would close in May, citing the end of a lease and impossible new rents. Hamilton creator and regular Lin-Manuel Miranda mourned the loss, and on Sunday, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and other locals plan to rally outside the restaurant to show support. “Coogan’s came in when the Heights was synonymous with crack and drugs and death,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat told amNY. “When they came up, they invested in the neighborhood. They were one of the first top-notch establishments to invest uptown when the neighborhood was going down the gutter.”

After 23 years, Italian restaurant Via Emilia closes

The new year took another longtime restaurant, Via Emilia. Open since 1994, chef-owner William Mattiello wrote a loving goodbye to the Italian spot visited for its affordable pasta and Lambrusco list. “I wish I could have said something earlier, but up until the end we were hoping to be able to stay,” he writes. “Sadly, that did not happen.” A tipster says the 47 East 21st St. space now has a “for rent” sign on the window.

Ninety percent of women in restaurants say they’ve faced abuse

Vox show Divided States of Women takes a look at sexual misconduct in the restaurant industry, where 90 percent of women say they’ve experienced some form of bad behavior, according to advocacy group Restaurant Opportunities Center. Most people who work for tips are women, dealing with lewd behavior from both managers and customers. One issue, ROC says, is the the tipped minimum wage, which forces restaurant workers to rely on the customers who might be harassing them in order to make ends meet.

Viand Cafe expands, and other UWS openings and closings

Upper West Side restaurant Viand Cafe now has a new location in the neighborhood at 85th Street and Columbus Avenue. It serves a slightly different menu and has options like challah french toast and a manwich burger with chili and cheddar. Elsewhere, fried chicken in a waffle cone purveyor Chick’nCone has opened in the Turnstyle hallway in Columbus Circle, but Amigos on Broadway has closed. For a look at fried chicken that’s not in a cone, check out The Dutch: