Time Out New York / Issue 583: November 30-December 6, 2006 LINK

Savings plans

Faced with eviction or slowing business,
restaurateurs are increasingly reaching out to customers for help.

By Laura Neilson Illustration By Emily Flake

Conventional wisdom in this town suggests that four out of five new restaurants close within five years. Some never even open; Craftbar chef Akhtar Nawab's Allen & Delancey didn't just miss its expected October launch-the owner pulled out entirely, leaving Nawab hanging. Surprisingly, more and more decades-old eateries have been shuttering-the beloved Second Avenue Deli, for example, called it quits earlier this year due to a lease dispute, after half a century of serving the city's best matzo-ball soup.

But for every restaurant that closes, there are dozens of others fighting to stay alive. In recent months, many have struggled to get a liquor license. Quite a few are battling rising rents. Some just can't compete in an aggressive market. But one thing remains true for all: What doesn't destroy them makes them much better guerrilla marketers.

"It nearly killed me," says Alexander Achilleos, owner of The Place (310 W 4th St between Bank and 12th Sts, 212-924-2711), which is one of this year's rare stayin'-alive success stories. When lease-negotiation problems resulted in an eviction order, Achilleos looked beyond the legal system to save his restaurant. In addition to taking the case to court, he and a public-relations firm launched an exhaustive "Save the Place" awareness campaign, which involved sending mailings to patrons, posting signs on the premises, attaching a small info card to each check and building a website (savetheplace.com) with an online petition. The team also wrote letters to state senators and asked various charities-ones the restaurant had supported in the past-to write letters of recommendation.

The media ate it up. Three months and 10,000 signatures later (along with $150,000 in campaign costs, which Achilleos paid out of his own pocket), the Place secured a new nine-year lease. Achilleos believes his landlord was afraid of what appeared to be a long, costly and well-publicized duel in court.

French bistro Le Madeleine (403 W 43rd St between Ninth and Tenth Aves, 212-246-2993) is currently in a similar two-front battle over eviction. As judicial proceedings take place in the State Supreme Court, owner Toney Edwards is keeping the latest news on his website (lemadeleine.com) and has asked other businesses in the neighborhood to carry his petitions. "We have over 6,000 signatures total-3,800 from people in the neighborhood, which should give us a good amount of political standing," he says, adding that the local support has attracted the attention of the area's community board.

Some restaurants can't afford a public-relations firm-or a fancy website. So before closing Uovo (175 Ave B between 11th and 12th Sts) in September, chef-owner Matt Hamilton set out to boost local interest on his own. Hamilton left menus around the neighborhood, created an e-mail list and altered the menu to attract more local customers. "We had foodies coming in from [far away]," he says, "but they weren't enough." As business declined, he signed up with both Visa Signature Dining, a VIP service that guarantees reserved tables for cardholders, and Restaurant.com, which offers dining coupons online. Still, it wasn't enough to resuscitate the East Village eatery.

When things weren't looking too good for Williamsburg's Monkey Town (58 North 3rd St between Kent and Wythe Aves, 718-384-1369) this October, its owner put out a last-ditch "distress call" to an e-mail list of 1,500 patrons. In it, owner Montgomery Knott explained the restaurant's crippling state of debt, and implored customers to come out and support Monkey Town during what he earnestly believed to be its final days-if for no other reason than to pay the remaining bills. The cry for assistance generated enough profits to keep Monkey Town afloat through the end of the year. The lifesaving funds will also pay for a holiday-themed benefit party on December 7.

After moving to a new space in September, Blind Tiger (281 Bleecker St at Jones St, 212-462-4682)-a ten-year old beer haven with a rabid following-played up its nonalcoholic beverages (lemonade, coffee) and café fare while awaiting its new liquor license. There's still no license in sight, so the owners have temporarily closed to save money while they await the benevolence of the State Liquor Authority. In the meantime, they too have set up an online petition. "If we can prove that the community wants us there, then that might help," says co-owner Alan Jestice.

As with any business or love affair, the only fate worse than death is not trying.

Copyright ©2006 Time Out New York