Danny Meyer closing two NYC restaurants in hotel turned migrant shelter

July 2024 · 3 minute read

Explore More

Prominent New York City restaurateur Danny Meyer — who founded the wildly popular Shake Shack chain — is closing two of his eateries after the historic hotel they’re housed in became a migrant shelter.

The Redbury Hotel, a 120-year-old landmark business in NoMad, began housing migrants earlier this month as the city struggles to shelter more than 57,000 asylum-seekers each night.

The Union Square Hospitality Group — run by Meyer — has since confirmed that two of its restaurants, Marta and Maialino, which are both located in the lobby of the hotel, will host their last service Aug. 25.

“As tenants of the Redbury, our two restaurants, which occupy the lobby floor, have been eagerly anticipating the hotel’s full post-pandemic reopening,” USHG wrote on social media.

“While we admire and respect the Redbury’s decision [to house migrants], the viability of our business relies significantly on hotel-related food and beverage operations, including event venues and the lobby bar, spaces that are now unavailable for our use,” read the hospitality company’s statement.

Restaurateur Danny Meyer will shutter two eateries this month as the historic Redbury Hotel becomes a migrant shelter. Melissa Hom
Marta, a pizzeria, opened when the Redbury Hotel was known as the Martha Washington Hotel. Robert Miller
Marta will shutter after nine years of operation in Manhattan. Robert Miller

Meyer has previously advocated for expedited work permits for the tens of thousands of migrants pouring into the city.

“We remain fully supportive of the Redbury’s initiative and will continue advocating for policy change that expedites work permits for asylum seekers,” the hospitality group’s statement said.

Maialino, where a dish of heritage suckling pig and rosemary potatoes goes for $45, previously operated out of the Gramercy Park Hotel and began doing business out of the Redbury last fall, according to Eater NY.

The Redbury Hotel has already begun housing migrants, prompting two restaurants located inside to close later this month. Getty Images
Marta and Maialino (vicino), both located inside the historic Redbury, will reportedly have their last service on August 25. Robert Miller

The second restaurant, Marta, a pizzeria, opened in 2014.

A rep with the hospitality group said it is actively looking to find new locations for both restaurants, as well as job placements for all employees impacted by the closures.

A waiter working tables at a packed Marta on Tuesday wouldn’t say if he or his coworkers were upset or angry by the closures, instead insisting they were “figuring it out as we go.

Maialino, a restaurant and wine bar, operated out of the Gramercy Park Hotel before moving to the Redbury. Zandy Mangold
The restaurants’ departures comes as the city struggles to house the influx of migrants seeking asylum in the city.

“We’re all eligible to leave or go to another restaurant that our restaurant group owns,” the waiter told The Post.

“They own like 19 other restaurants in NYC. So theoretically, it’s a seamless transition,’’ he said of the proprietors.

The group owns a slew of top restaurants in the city, including Gramercy Tavern and Manhatta.

Migrants recently were forced to sleep outside another Manhattan hotel, which had become full. Robert Mecea

“There will be another Marta. So it’s just ‘where’ is the question? It’s a ‘when,’ not an ‘if,’ ” the waiter added.

More than 100,000 asylum-seekers have poured into the city since early 2022, and roughly 60,000 are currently being housed in the city-run sites.

City Hall didn’t respond to The Post’s request for comment about Marta and Maialino’s abrupt closures.

ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3R7j3Fmam1fma6vuthmpJ6xlad6pLjOrKCnn12pxLB5zbKaZqqVqMGiwdGapa2rXZ67brTOrZylZaSqv6%2Bxw2akop%2Bilru1edKhnKWslad8