Admittedly, this one breaks my heart.
Tavern on the Green isn’t just a beloved gem in New York; to me, it’s the home of many happy memories: attending the National Stationery Show party with Mom the first time we went to market…dinner with dear, wonderful Vicki Hoffstetter who helped me begin my path into industry leadership…co-presenting the inaugural Rep of the Year Award at the REA dinner with Carol Schroeder…flirting with a certain tall, dark, and handsome gentleman in the gift industry who, to this day, has no clue what a crush I had on him…and the night a handful of us danced beneath thousands of twinkling lights on the back terrace, music wafting over from a wedding reception on the neighboring patio. To some, Tavern may be a cliché, but to me, it’s a treasure box.
This past week, it was announced that Tavern on the Green has filed Chapter 11 due to “a combination of the recession and the city’s decision not to renew” the 75-year old restaurant’s license, according to CEO Jennifer Oz LeRoy, daughter of Warner LeRoy, the gentleman who made Tavern what it is today. Is there hope for restructuring? Maybe. But the license is the bigger concern, in my book. Without that, this venerable institution won’t stand a chance in today’s marketplace.
In hopes of swaying the city, the LeRoy family has launched an online campaign to keep the doors open and the dream alive. My hope is that this plea for support from the public will turn the bureaucrats around.
My fingers and toes are crossed, tightly. If they make it, I promise to return, friends in tow, so we can continue making memories under the twinkle lights in the trees.
If they don’t, my heart will feel the sorrow of a very, very special friend now lost.
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