Del Posto, an upscale Italian restaurant in New York City, will permanently shut down after being sold, according to the New York Times.
The concept was purchased by Melissa Rodriguez, executive chef, Jeff Katz, general manager, and James Kent, partner and executive chef at The Restaurants at 70 Pine in New York City.
The new ownership group plans to transform the former Manhattan space into three different entities: a cocktail bar, a wood-burning pizza brand, and an Italian concept similar to Del Posto. The new companies are tentatively scheduled to open in the fall.
Del Posto had been closed since March 2020, the Times said. Prior to COVID, the Italian concept employed more than 200 people. It was founded by Lidia Bastianich, Joe Bastinanich, and chef Mario Batali in 2005. In 2010, the Italian restaurant received a four-star review from the New York Times, the first to do so since 1974. The concept held a Relais & Chateux distinction, a 5 Diamond Award from AAA, and the Grand Award from the Wine Spectator, according to its website.
In 2019, the Bastianich family bought out Batali’s shares in the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group after multiple allegations of sexual misconduct and harassment across multiple decades.
Katz, who worked at Del Posto for 15 years, told the Times that he and the new ownership group hope to “make a clean break from the restaurant’s past owners while continuing to push Italian food in America to new levels.”
“This fall Mel, James, and I alongside an amazing team of pros will open 3 new concepts in the space that previously housed [Del Posto],” Katz said in an Instagram post. “This one is pretty full circle for me, and it’s crazy to think it happening. Thank you to the armies of friends, supporters, and advisors who have gotten us here today. We promise to make you all proud and I think you’ll love what we have in store for the corner at 85 10th.”
The Times reported that Rodriguez will be “the face” of the flagship restaurant that will replace Del Posto. She joined the restaurant in 2011 and was promoted to executive chef in 2017. Rodriguez said she’s still working through the menu, and that it will be “fun” and “celebratory” while accounting for changes in fine dining over the years.
