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Tom Colicchio Reopens His NYC Restaurants 6 Months After Closing Due to COVID-19
As he reopens the doors to his NYC eateries, the Bravo's Top Chef judge is "endlessly grateful" for his team's dedication.
More than six months after Tom Colicchio made the heartbreaking decision to temporarily close the doors of his New York City restaurants, Craft and The Bar Room at Temple Court, the Bravo's Top Chef judge announced that the eateries are once again open for business as of September 30.
In separate Instagram posts, Tom revealed that The Bar Room at Temple Court will be open daily for breakfast, weekend brunch, and nightly dinner service. Craft, which is open for nightly dinner as well as weekend brunch, is offering "25% capacity indoor service and some limited-run outdoor seating."
Noting that "masks and temperature checks are required for entry," at his flagship restaurant, Tom concluded his caption, "Thank you team Craft. I am endlessly grateful for your dedication."
In March, Tom opened up about the decision to temporarily cease operations at his NYC and Los Angeles restaurants. "Today I’ve made the hardest decision I’ve ever faced in my 40 years in this industry, to temporarily close Craft and our family of restaurants in NYC and L.A as well as our corporate office after dinner service this evening," he wrote on Instagram. "We are taking our lead from the science community, public heath agencies, and the federal, state, and local leaders who have made it clear: the time for collective, coordinated action is now."
Three months later, Tom shared his thoughts on the future of the restaurant industry during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen. "The [James] Beard Foundation did a survey and only 20 percent of the respondents said that they would definitely open up," he said in the video above. "The Independent Restaurant Coalition of which I'm a co-founder — we've been lobbying the government — we had an independent [financial] study done ... And they believe, without government intervention, 85 percent of the restaurants in this country will shutter."
Padma Lakshmi, who appeared on WWHL with Tom during the same episode, encouraged viewers to help keep restaurants open, explaining, "You can still go Jamesbeard.org/openforgood to either donate or find out other ways you can help to keep restaurants either open for good or reopen."
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