The often-repeated statistic that only 1% of New York City restaurants survive a year after opening is a long-running urban legend (the actual number is closer to 20%). Still, the city’s market is notoriously difficult, given the high cost of real estate and a customer base with seemingly infinite options for delicious food.
High-profile restaurant closures in March 2026 alone, notes Eater, include specialized wine bar Corkbuzz, gluten-free Japanese bakery Postcard, and Bar56, just underneath the Brooklyn Bridge in the Dumbo neighborhood.
On the chain end, New York also lost Las Vegas Mexican restaurant Pink Taco. The last Hooters restaurant in New York also closed its doors in the Queens borough in late February, reports TimeOut New York.
Elmo restaurant opened in Chelsea in 2001
Another beloved restaurant serving its final meal this month is the LGBTQ-friendly staple Elmo Restaurant.
Opened in the Chelsea neighborhood by Bob Pontarelli in 2001, it served a menu of simple American dishes, but quickly became a beloved community hangout as Chelsea saw a period of rapid gentrification, and most other LGBTQ-friendly restaurants on Sixth and Seventh avenues closed their doors.
A New York Times article from 2021 described Elmo as one of the last LGBTQ+ restaurants left in a neighborhood that was once full of them.
Related: 26-year-old sushi chain files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy
But in an Instagram post, Pontarelli shared that the restaurant will serve guests for the last time on March 13. After the sale of the building where the restaurant was located, the new owner chose not to renew Elmo’s long-running lease.
The existing space at 156 Seventh Avenue will be developed into a new high-end residential project.
“It was just confirmed to me that our building — home to elmo for 25 years — has been sold,” Pintarelli wrote in the Instagram post. “Our lease expires with that sale. The new owners will soon bring a residential building to our neighborhood. Sadly, all things must come to an end and elmo will serve its last meal on Friday, March 13.”
Elmo Restaurant
“A place to gather comfortably with members of your community”
The heartfelt post received hundreds of comments from fans and local residents, who see Elmo’s closure as the end of an era and the loss of an important community space.
Many described memories of meeting dating prospects there in the pre-app era and continuing to come back for the communal ambiance over the years. Others would come to Elmo for a place to socialize with locals from Chelsea.
More Travel News:
- Airline to launch unusual new flight to Cayman Islands from the U.S.
- Iranian strike hits major airport, injuries reported
- Unexpected country is most luxurious travel destination for 2026
- U.S. government issues sudden warning on Switzerland travel
“It’s been a place for a first date or dinner with friends,” Pontarelli wrote. “A place for important celebrations and fabulous parties or simply a place to gather comfortably with members of your community at a home away from home. […] We opened just months after the events of 9-11 and stayed open and serving food and cocktails through Sandy, several blackouts and record snow falls.”
A year ago in March 2025, a separate bar also owned by Pontarelli closed down for similar reasons of neighbohood development and demolition of several local buildings by the owner, Pix11 reported.
Related: This Texas city is a seriously underrated foodie destination
