Two-Michelin-Starred Restaurant to Lay Off Most of Its Staff

For a minute, the stars seemed aligned at Al Coro. Jeff Katz, a founder of the Michelin-starred restaurant Crown Shy, and the chef Melissa Rodriguez opened the fine dining restaurant in the former home of Del Posto in 2022. Four months later, it was awarded two Michelin stars. Less than a year after that, it was sold to Tao Group, who said it planned to close the restaurant by year’s end and turn it into something new — an unusual move for a team with so much acclaim. Ahead of the pivot, Al Coro and its downstairs bar Discolo plan to lay off 98 of their combined 135 employees, Crain’s New York Business reports. The cuts, which account for 70 percent of the restaurants’ payroll, will take place in December. The team’s next-door pizzeria Mel’s will remain open, according to its spokesperson.

Flooded restaurants remain closed and damaged

Restaurants are still reeling from flood damage, a new normal in the city, after the storm on September 29. Many have managed to spring back into action, but some remain temporarily closed. One of them is La Morada, an activism-oriented Mexican restaurant in the Bronx that announced that it is closed until further notice, including its food pantry. In Park Slope, the Haitian snack shop Bonbon Lakay has launched a GoFundMe to restore their production space, which is “no longer operational.” — Emma Orlow, reporter

In Queens, a new revolving sushi counter

It’s been a big year for conveyor belt sushi. In recent months, Japanese restaurants like Kura Sushi, Kaiten Zushi, and others have opened or announced new locations in New York City. The latest is in Flushing. Salute, which opened at the end of September, sells sushi and sashimi on a revolving counter. Most plates range from $3 to $5 each, and the menu also has poke bowls and ramen.

A ‘gem’ in Gowanus is closing this month

The wood-fired ovens at Victor are powering down later this month. The two-year-old restaurant, which Eater’s critic called a “Mediterranean gem” in an early review, is closing on October 14. Its owners, the Brooklyn chefs Ian Alvarez and Ryan Angulo, announced the news in an Instagram post on Monday. They did not cite a reason for the closure.