Union Square Cafe Finds its New Home: New Location Will Enable Union Square Cafe to Remain in Union Square Neighborhood
CONTACT: Kate Lindquist, klindquist@ushgnyc.com, 646-747-0596
July 22, 2015
Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) today announced that Union Square Cafe (USC)—a beloved institution and landmark of the area’s dining scene—will relocate to a new home in the Union Square neighborhood.
Nearly thirty years after Danny Meyer opened USC at its current location on East 16th Street, USHG has signed a lease on a space at 235 Park Avenue South, on the corner of East 19th Street. The new home will allow USC to provide an enhanced dining experience with a larger kitchen, ample bar and dining room space, and the restaurant’s first-ever private dining room. The move ends an intensive yearlong search focused around Union Square in an effort to maintain USC’s longstanding ties with regular guests, Union Square Park, and neighborhood institutions such as the Greenmarket, from which much of the restaurant’s menu is sourced. USC will remain open in its original location and take reservations for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch through the end of its lease in December, 2015. USC will reopen in its new location in spring 2016.
“When I opened USC in 1985, my top goal was to create a restaurant, that, if only it existed, would be my own favorite place to eat. Thirty years later, USC still inspires me and the family of restaurants it helped cultivate, and I can’t wait to see what the next chapter brings. What could be more fun than the challenge of designing a 30-year-old start-up?” said Danny Meyer, USHG Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “We’re especially grateful to our many neighbors and friends for their suggestions and for cheering us on as we search for our new home. I could never imagine taking the Union Square out of Union Square Cafe, and I’m relieved and thrilled that we solved the puzzle.”
Managing Partner Sam Lipp and Executive Chef/Partner Carmen Quagliata, who are both ten-year USHG veterans, will continue to operate USC and lead the staff, many of whom will move with the restaurant from its current location. Favorite dishes will stay on the menu alongside new ones that celebrate American cooking inspired by seasonal ingredients from the Greenmarket and Chef Quagliata’s ties to southern Italy and California.
“USC’s move means much more than just a new address—it’s a fresh start, a new environment, and a robust growth opportunity for our incredible team. USC holds a special place in the lives of so many people, and now our staff has the amazing opportunity to help define the new restaurant and set the table for the next 30 years. I’m so grateful to the entire staff for pushing for excellence and hospitality throughout this period of uncertainty,” said Sam Lipp, USC Managing Partner.
“Union Square and its Greenmarket are critical to the restaurant’s identity. I’m thrilled that USC will stay in the neighborhood it calls home, which will enable us to further cultivate our relationships with farmers and local purveyors who help us deliver an excellent culinary experience to each of our guests,” said Carmen Quagliata, USC Executive Chef/Partner.
The Union Square-based firm Rockwell Group will design USC’s new interior, which will draw some of its inspiration from the warmth, character, and soul of the restaurant’s current home on 16th Street. USC’s new space will have greater seating capacity than the current location, as well as new amenities such as seasonal outdoor seating and the restaurant’s first-ever private dining facilities. Rockwell Group’s principals are longtime USC regulars, and the design visionaries behind USHG’s restaurant Maialino.
“Communities are defined by many factors, including the places where we eat. Union Square Cafe is part of the fabric of what makes Union Square such a great neighborhood, and I look forward to creating an extraordinary new home that feels as warm and familiar as the original restaurant,” said David Rockwell, Founder and President of Rockwell Group.
USC’s new home is located in a building owned and managed by the Palin and Sachs families. Dean Palin is one of the operators of City Crab and Seafood, the restaurant that has operated in the space since 1993, and which will close approximately September 15. USHG will support City Crab through its closure by providing job training and career placement opportunities for the restaurant’s current employees within the USHG family of businesses, including the new USC. The deal comes at the conclusion of USC’s lease at the 16th Street location amid rising rents, and represents a shared interest that USC be allowed to continue to operate in Union Square.
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About Union Square Cafe
One of New York City’s most acclaimed and beloved restaurants, Union Square Cafe serves Italian inspired, seasonal American cuisine in a relaxed and warm setting. Since its opening in 1985, Union Square Cafe has changed the restaurant landscape in New York City, played an integral role in the revitalization of Union Square, and become a pillar in the neighborhood as well as a symbol of its progress. Under the direction of Executive Chefs Ali Barker (1985 – 1988) and Michael Romano (1988 – 2007), and now Executive Chef/Partner Carmen Quagliata and Managing Partner Sam Lipp, the restaurant has earned continuous acclaim over its 30 years in business, including five James Beard Awards and the #1 spot on Zagat’s “Most Popular Restaurants” list an unprecedented nine times.
About Union Square Hospitality Group
Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG) was founded by Danny Meyer and created some of New York City’s most beloved restaurants: Union Square Cafe, Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke, Jazz Standard, Eleven Madison Park, Tabla, Shake Shack, The Modern at the Museum of Modern Art, Maialino, North End Grill, Marta, Porchlight, and Untitled at the Whitney Museum of American Art. USHG also includes Union Square Events, a catering and venue hospitality business, and Hospitality Quotient, an organizational consulting group that works with leaders in diverse industries to transform their business through hospitality. Danny and his chefs have earned an unprecedented 26 James Beard Awards and extend the company’s vision for Enlightened Hospitality beyond the walls of its restaurants through support for hunger relief causes such as Share Our Strength and City Harvest, as well as civic organizations such as the Union Square Partnership and the Madison Square Park Conservancy.
USHG ANNOUNCEMENT
