Danny Meyer shuts restaurants at hotel slated for shelter

Danny Meyer is closing shop at two restaurants inside a landmarked Midtown hotel that’s now home to asylum seekers. 

The restaurants — Marta and Maialino, located in the hotel’s lobby — will operate through Aug. 25 before laying off 125 workers, according to a WARN notice. The closures come after the 120-year-old Redbury Hotel began housing migrants earlier this month, which the owner previously said would not affect operations. 

Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality cited the hotel’s delayed post-pandemic opening, which its deal to house asylum seekers has “extended indefinitely,” for the closures. 

“While we admire and respect the Redbury’s decision, the viability of our business relies significantly on hotel-related F&B operations, including event venues and the lobby bar, spaces that are now unavailable for our use,” the company said. 

The company also referenced Meyer’s advocacy for expedited work permits for asylum seekers. 

The company is looking for new locations for both restaurants and considers the 125 affected employees eligible to work at its other locations, the New York Post reported.

Marta, a pizzeria, opened in 2014. Maialino previously operated out of the Gramercy Park Hotel and began doing business out of the Redbury last fall, according to its website. 

Los Angeles-based CIM Group bought the site of the hotel for $158 million in 2015, when it was the Martha Washington Hotel, before rebranding it as the Redbury. 

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