Closing time is coming soon for Glendale‘s Edison Place restaurant.
After more than six years of serving fine “new American” cuisine at the corner of 71st Place and Cooper Avenue, the eatery will be serving its final meals on Saturday, July 29, according to Jim Long, one of its owners.
While Edison Place gained a loyal following among local residents and businesses, Long told QNS that he and his six fellow investors had a difficult time getting business to a sustainable level.
“We had stretched it out with plans and hopes that it will make a turnaround, but it’s no longer tenable, and we needed to make a decision,” Long said.
Speculation about Edison Place’s impending closure — and the sale of the two-story building where it is located, 71-28 Cooper Ave. — had been swirling on social media for days. Long confirmed that the sale is expected to be completed soon after Edison Place shuts down. While rumors are flying that the restaurant will be replaced by medical offices, Long said it was a “possibility,” but could not confirm the new owners’ intentions.
Edison Place, the brand referring to the original name of 71st Place, opened in 2011 in what was once Von Westerhagen’s German restaurant, which had a loyal following of its own. Open for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch, Edison Place features a menu fitting just about any appetite, from first courses such as crab cakes and Mandarin duck spring roles to main courses featuring Italian, French and German offerings.
The restaurant is a short walk from several other dining establishments including Zum Stammtisch, a German restaurant; The Avenue Bar and Restaurant; and the Glendale Diner. Long said that he believed customers who set foot in Edison Place had an enjoyable time while they were there.
“I feel that those who came into the restaurant had a positive experience,” said Long, who along with his family has owned and operated other bars and restaurants in Brooklyn and Manhattan. “The majority of people had a positive experience and returned. But it became a challenge to get enough regular business to have the restaurant sort of sustain itself and go from there.”
As many as 20 people are employed at Edison Place on either a full- or part-time basis, according to Long. He and his partners reinvested in the restaurant repeatedly over the years to keep it going, but in the end, “the numbers were not there to stay” in business, he noted.
“That’s difficult to deal with, and that comes into your thinking and reasoning because you’ve got good people working for you,” Long said.
Long publicly thanked the people of Glendale and Edison Place’s supporters through the years. Asked whether he’d consider reopening a restaurant in the area someday, Long said he’d need to “get through the next few weeks” and tie up all the loose ends before making such a decision.
“Thank you to the Glendale community and the surrounding communities. We enjoyed our time,” Long added. “one of the things that was constant and made it work was our staff and their interaction with the community. That is something that will be missed.”
