Delmonico’s, America’s oldest steakhouse, has been closed for the past three years under suspicion
The future of Delmonico’s, the country’s oldest steakhouse that was in business from 1837 until the pandemic, appears to be at stake.
The 186-year-old restaurant, located in the Financial District, is the exterior shot of The Continental Hotel in the John Wick movie series and has been closed for nearly three years.
However, there is currently a dispute with two parties who now claim they have the right to reopen the restaurant located in the Financial District.
The Continental is John Wick’s most notorious location: the hotel where killers can drink scotch, and turn heads on other killers while they take over “business” in the heart of the Financial District.
One of Manhattan’s oldest restaurants, Delmonico’s, is on its way back to the Financial District after being closed for nearly three years.
When it opened, the restaurant was known for its inventive American dishes including eggs Benedict, Manhattan clam chowder and the famous Delmonico steak, pictured above.
When it opened, the restaurant was known for its inventive American dishes including eggs Benedict, Manhattan clam chowder, and the famous Delmonico ribeye steak.
The dispute revolves around who owns the rights to the Delmonico name and its use.
A press release sent out last week mentioned how the restaurant would return in the fall of 2023, but an Instagram post on Delmonico’s Instagram account claimed that recent reports that we would reopen at 56 Beaver Street are false.
“It has come to our attention that former associates have been misrepresenting themselves to the media as the owners of Delmonico,” the post read.
One family says they have the right to use the brand name while a second party claims that announcing any kind of reopening is an infringement of trademark rights.
An Instagram post on Delmonico’s Instagram account claims that “recent reports that we’re reopening at 56 Beaver Street are false.”
The famous New York restaurant at 56 Beaver Street served as the “re-dressed” exterior of the Continental Hotel in the John Wick film series. Keanu Reeves pictured above
Delmonico’s, 186-year-old restaurant in New York City, as COVID hit in 2020 closed
Delmonico closed its doors and “suspended all operations” as part of the lockdown on March 18, 2020. This photo shows chefs preparing food at Delmonico’s in 1902
The Grgurevs, who used to run the restaurant and currently manage Delmonico’s Instagram account, allege that the new tenants of the 56 Beaver Street location are using Delmonico’s name in bad faith, without their involvement and are not involved in the restaurant’s relaunch.
Grgurevs also in the process of filing a lawsuit against the new operators.
The dispute revolves around a legal ruling passed in the spring of 2021 in which brothers Verdoux and Omar Grigoriev managed to secure full ownership of the location, but were barred from operating Delmonico’s or any other restaurant within a mile until March 2023.
However, the Grgurevs have stated that they still have the right to continue operating the restaurant under the Delmonico name.
Meanwhile, Denis Turchinovich and Joseph LeColle, who work at another restaurant, claim to be the new owners of the property as of January 1, 2023, and have not been involved in any ongoing litigation with the previous owners.
Delmonico’s was among restaurants and bars across the country forced to close during the coronavirus lockdown. It has never reopened
A representative for Turcinovic said eater How he and Licul signed a new 15-year lease with Time Equities and denied any claims that would indicate they were not the rightful owners.
They have announced plans to remove any website that indicates otherwise and plan to launch new websites if the issue is not resolved.
But the Grgurev brothers say they have the right to operate the restaurant under the Delmonico name with a ban on others from operating any Delmonico or any other restaurant within a mile radius until March of this year.
In April 2022, the property’s owner, Time Equities, attempted to vacate the restaurant, under the management of the Grgurev family, claiming non-payment of approximately $300,000 in rent and fees.
Some of Delmonico’s legendary steaks were seen in the fridge when the place was open prior to 2020
The busy kitchen at Delmonico’s as seen in 1902 The restaurant was 65 years old
Mark Twain’s 70th birthday dinner at Delmonico’s on December 5th, 1905
The Grgurev family denied the eviction claim and said it was related to the owner’s delay in repairing water damage to the building from Hurricane Ida in 2021.
By December 2022, the lease had expired and the landlord would not renew it, and Time Equities then signed the deal with Turcinovic and Licul, Grgurev’s former partners.
Umar Grigoriev’s daughter, Michelle Grigoriev, says her family now believes the landlord intentionally allowed the lease to expire so it could be reissued to new tenants.
The iconic New York restaurant features as the exterior of the Continental Hotel in the John Wick series
Delmonico’s dinner menu on April 18, 1899