The first vegetarian restaurant to receive a Michelin star in New York City has had its reopening plans nixed because of financial strains caused by the coronavirus.
Chef John Fraser, who debuted his acclaimed restaurant Nix in Greenwich Village four years ago, said in an Instagram post that the business would close permanently.
“Letting vegetables take center stage has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career,” said Fraser, who co-owns the restaurant with former Condé Nast editorial director James Truman.
“I‘m grateful to every guest who brought an open mind and hungry belly to the restaurant and proved that the appetite for modern vegetarian dining is real.”
The restaurant’s official Instagram page also posted about the end of the restaurant, writing, “COVID obligated us to close.”
“Everything that’s happened since has shown us that there is no path back to where we had been: an intimate, busy restaurant that was able to pay its staff fairly, serve its neighborhood, maintain exacting standards of excellence, and still operate as a (more-or-less) sustainable business,” the restaurant wrote.
Fraser — who is known for his love of produce — first made his mark nabbing a Michelin star for the former Upper West Side fine dining restaurant Dovetail, which closed in 2018, Eater reported.
The renowned chef has had a series of setbacks during the pandemic. His restaurants 701West and Paradise Club in the luxe Times Square Edition Hotel are temporarily closed.
Fraser will work to reopen his North Fork Table and Inn — which is operating via a food truck — later in the summer.