Duel owners have issued conflicting statements regarding the reopening of an iconic New York City restaurant.
In the latest installment of the ongoing legal battle over the 186-year-old Delmonico’s brand and buildingThe owners both gave fans hope — and quickly quashed it.
The long-standing Financial District institution is set to reopen this autumn for the first time since closing its doors in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an emailed press release sent out last week .
“The new year begins in the fall of 2023, the return of Delmonico’s, a landmark New York City establishment known for many firsts—the first to use the word restaurant, the first to have a cookbook, sitting at its table The first to serve women, without the men, and the list goes on,” the release reads. “Starting this month, the beloved NYC steakhouse will undergo an extensive redesign and renovation.”
Not so though, according to Delmonico’s Instagram, which was later posted a conflicting announcement The emailed release is called a “false”.
“It has come to our attention that former associates have been misrepresenting themselves to the media as owners of Delmonico’s,” the post said. “This is untrue, and legal action has been initiated against these individuals.”
The post ends by claiming to have been uploaded by “the sole owners of the trademark and this iconic brand” who are “actively working” on reopening, but have yet to share plans on the matter.
instagram post, Eater reported, is the work of Ferdo and Omar Grugurev, who won a four-way legal battle in the spring of 2021 after a court ruled that they had full ownership of the steakhouse. The email, meanwhile, came from longtime Delmonico employee Dennis Turkinovic, who became the restaurant’s new co-owner this January — when he “signed a new 15-year lease” with “landlord Time Equities,” a The spokesperson told the outlet in a statement.
After Eater’s article was published, however, a spokesperson noted that his firm had ceased work with Turkinovic — not a great sign for Delmonico’s ownership claimant.