Donald Trump and the Tavern on the Green before it closed

On the eve of the deadline for potential operators to submit proposals for the Tavern on the Green, Donald Trump said he would not get involved in the bidding, DNA info reported.

Trump struck an agreement with the union that represents Tavern employees — a sticking point in previous bids for the restaurant —and said last year that he’d spend $20 million to rehabilitating the space. But all that went out the window when the city said it sought proposals for a “casual dining” eatery. [more]

From left: Glazier Group CEO Peter Glazier and Tavern on the Green

By shrinking the space of a potential restaurant at Tavern on the Green and reducing demolition costs, the city is more likely to receive a promising bid in its request for proposals for developing a new eatery at Tavern on the Green, according to the New York Post.

The 2009 RFP called for a restaurateur to develop a 30,000-square-foot space, build it out and fund necessary exterior work. This time around, the city would demolish the Crystal and Terrace rooms and a developer would be left with just 10,320 square feet of indoor space and 11,950 square feet of terrace space. [more]

Since the closure of the Tavern on the Green restaurant on Dec. 31, 2009, there have been many plans for the storied restaurant located just west of the Sheep Meadow, near 67th Street, in Central Park. Today the city made it official — not only do they want a restaurant back, it will bear the Tavern name and be decidedly casual, according to a Request for Proposals issued today.

According to a statement from the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation, the agency wants “a casual restaurant, outdoor café, and bar,” in keeping with the sentiments expressed by the Upper West Side’s Community Board 7. As DNAinfo reported earlier this month, the community board members want any prospective restaurant to be inclusive in terms of its clientele. – Guelda Voien [more]

Celebrities packed the Hammerstein Ballroom last night for Comedy Central’s roast of Donald Trump, the developer, presumed presidential candidate, “Celebrity Apprentice” overlord, prospective baseball mogul, hopeful Tavern on the Green rescuer, and all-around overexposed personality. Word is that the roast — slated to air March 15 at 10:30 p.m. — was pretty brutal (from comedian Jeff Ross: “Actually, Donald, Comedy Central wanted to roast someone more likable, but Bernie Madoff was busy!”), but at least it’s all for a good cause. TMZ reports that Trump was originally against the public humiliation, but agreed when he found out it came with a $2 million payday. Trump will be donating the entirety of his earnings last night to charity, he said, before declaring to the audience post-roast, “What a great honor it must be for you to honor me here tonight!” [TMZ] and [Fancast]

A plan to recreate a Windows on the World-style restaurant atop 1 World Trade Center has been scrapped by the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, which believes the space will be more financially viable if used in another way. The long-planned restaurant, once slated to take up several floors of the 1,776-foot-tall tower, was later scaled down to just one in order to cut costs. But according to the Post, its construction and design proved to be unaffordable even at that size, and the Port Authority was skeptical that it would be able to find a restaurateur willing to take it on. [more]

Donald Trump and Tavern on the Green

Donald Trump may have only just announced his intent to take over the now-shuttered Tavern on the Green a few days ago, but the real estate tycoon is already laying out his vision for the staple Central Park eatery, according to the New York Post. If he is given the reins at the Tavern, Trump said he would demand that the now-demolished Crystal Room dining area be rebuilt, under a new design. “Without a new Crystal Room, you’d have 30 seats,” Trump said of the restaurant, in which he would invest upward of $20 million. [more]

Donald Trump and Tavern on the Green

Shuttered Central Park landmark Tavern on the Green may reopen under the direction of New York real estate mogul Donald Trump, who wants to turn it into “the highest-grossing restaurant on the planet,” Trump said yesterday. According to the New York Times, Trump has reached an agreement with Peter Ward, head of the union that represented the workers there, to revive the restaurant, which closed at the end of 2009 after the LeRoy family that operated it declared bankruptcy. The city had granted Central Park Boathouse operator Dean Poll the operating license, but Poll was never able to come to terms with the union. [more]

Jennifer LeRoy and Tavern on the Green

The
next round of proposals from restaurateurs who would like to run Tavern
on the Green could come later this year, including a previously
undisclosed plan that would transform both the landmarked restaurant
and a stretch of Central Park, the New York Times reported. The plan
would require the demolition of the Crystal Room — a dining room
overlooking the restaurant’s garden in Central Park — which would be
rebuilt at the rear of the building, largely out of sight. Diners
would enjoy sweeping views of the Bridle Path and the grassy Sheep
Meadow, reminiscent of the building’s original 1870 design. The
restaurant’s last operator, Jennifer LeRoy, submitted the 57-page plan
last year, but the city rejected it in favor of a bid by Dean Poll,
proprietor of the Central Park Boathouse. But Poll’s negotiations have
since collapsed and LeRoy said she would be interested in resubmitting
her proposal. Donald Trump and the Cipriani company had expressed interest in the eatery in May, one day after Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that it would be used as a temporary visitors center. [NYT]

[more]

The new operator of Tavern on the Green and the union that represents its former employees are set to make a last-ditch attempt at an agreement tomorrow, but sources told the Wall Street Journal that there’s a good chance the deal could collapse. “It’s either going to happen over the next few days or I think everyone is going to go separate ways,” one source said. Operator Dean Poll, who was awarded a 20-year operating license by the city in August based on his proposal for a $25 million renovation of the storied restaurant, must reach an agreement with the New York Hotel Trades Council before signing a contract. [WSJ] 

[more]

The new operator of Tavern on the Green and the union that represents its former employees are set to make a last-ditch attempt at an agreement tomorrow, but sources told the Wall Street Journal that there’s a good chance the deal could collapse. “It’s either going to happen over the next few days or I think everyone is going to go separate ways,” one source said. Operator Dean Poll, who was awarded a 20-year operating license by the city in August based on his proposal for a $25 million renovation of the storied restaurant, must reach an agreement with the New York Hotel Trades Council before signing a contract. [WSJ] 

[more]