$100K GoFundMe effort revitalizes beloved Broadway dining spot West Bank Cafe
One beloved Manhattan dinner theater has not had its final act yet.
The West Bank Cafe’s time in the limelight will continue for at least a few more months — after a GoFundMe campaign launched to help ease the celebrity-packed, Broadway hotspot’s financial woes raised $100,000, supporters said.
The amount — which came from famous patrons and everyday diners — is enough for the Hell’s Kitchen eatery to indefinitely postpone its original closing date of August 24, according to Broadway producer Tom D’Angora, a regular who started the online fundraiser.
“The support has been incredible, the restaurant is packed everyday,” D’Angora said.
“My goal was to raise $25,000 or $50,000 in the first month but we ended up doing $100,000 which I think is so promising and exciting.”
Owner Steve Olsen, 70, started the cafe in Hell’s Kitchen in 1978 at age 24.
The star studded cafe, which also hosts the 80-seat Laurie Beechman Theatre in its basement, has been frequented by the likes of Steven Sondheim, Tennessee Williams, Al Pacino, and many up and coming Big Apple actors.
Joan Rivers had her final performance in the downstairs Laurie Beechman Theatre and other acts, such as Chita Rivera, called the theatre and restaurant home.
The business was hit hard as they did not qualify for any federal assistance loans, due to a “technicality,” D’Angora previously told the Post.
The lack of a COVID-19 bailout first caused the cafe to turn to GoFundMe in 2020, when fans raised $350,000 to keep the lights on.
Although immense progress has been made, the eatery still hopes for an additional flow of cash to meet their goal of $850,000.
The group working to save West Bank Cafe— headed by D’Angora, his husband Michael D’Angora, Actor Tim Guinee, and Tony nominated composer Joe Iconis— plan to implement the second phase of fundraising in the next months, tapping into their celebrity patrons to post on social media and rally supporters.
D’Angora described this first month as just the “soft launch.”
“While there are still pieces of the puzzle that need to fall into place, there is a light at the end of the tunnel that is bright and hopeful and absolutely within reach,” D’Angora said.
A star-studded gala is expected to be held at West Bank Cafe this fall to continue fundraising efforts, pending announcement.
