News Elsewhere: The Future of Eleven Madison Park in New York City Is In Question

A New York institution that was once rated the best restaurant in the world is closed for now like so many other dining spots across the country--but there appears to be a chance that it might not reopen.

According to an article in Bloomberg, the future of Eleven Madison Park in Manhattan is unknown, as chef-owner Daniel Humm says that "There is definitely a question mark over Eleven Madison Park—if it will reopen....It will take millions of dollars to reopen. You have to bring back staff. I work with fancy equipment in a big space. I want to continue to cook with the most beautiful and precious ingredients in a creative way, but at the same time, it needs to make sense." The 80-seat Madison Avenue dining spot closed for the time being back in mid-March, with its staff being laid off--including approximately 30% of them who were in this country on visas; Humm says of the workers, "They all had to go home without anything. It pretty much broke my heart."

Humm is a board member of Rethink Food, a nonprofit that turns excess food into meals for underserved communities, and he has actually converted the Eleven Madison Park space into a commissary kitchen while it is closed, preparing nearly 3,000 meals a day for people in need.

Eleven Madison Park is a fine-dining restaurant that has received countless awards since opening in 1988, including being named the #1 dining spot on The World's 50 Best Restaurants list in 2017.

by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)

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[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

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Posted in: Dining Spots