April Bloomfield’s Texas Restaurant Group May Take Over NYC Hotel Restaurants in Nine Orchard | Eater NY
"Located in a landmarked former bank circa 1912 that opened in 2022, the property is the subject of talks for a takeover of its on-site restaurants by a Texas hospitality group. Community Board documents indicate the group is on track to take over the hotel's restaurant, the lobby bar, and potentially the rooftop; April Bloomfield overseeing the Manhattan property would be part of her new role with the group. The liquor license application submitted to CB3 outlines plans to operate a "New American restaurant with an emphasis on seasonal cooking," open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to midnight, with a maximum of 68 tables and a bar area (the application notes the building, which includes multiple restaurant areas, seats potentially over 400, with more than one bar). A source says that if the deal goes through, the hospitality group will not make changes to the culinary staff for at least a year. The property has already been a flashpoint for restaurant drama—an initial flagship lobby restaurant opened in 2022 and drew immediate buzz, a ground-floor fine-dining concept was fully designed but never opened, and earlier ownership tensions have been reported—and the hotel was purchased in 2011 for $33 million amid rapid neighborhood change." - Melissa McCart
