Last night a former employee of Lorenzo’s, a casual Latin fusion cantina opened in a former garage at 19 Wyckoff Ave in Bushwick, informed us that the restaurant has abruptly closed. He was among a number of the employees of the six-months old restaurant who were let go.
When we stopped by at the restaurant, a man on the premises referred us to the property manager, Cayuga Capital Management, who confirmed that Lorenzo’s is closed and will not be coming back.
Representative of Cayuga who is also the landlord of Lorenzo’s further informed us that a new restaurant will open in Lorenzo’s spot within four to eight weeks. “We have a new restaurant opportunity that is very exciting,” the rep told us. “It will be a different vibe and a different feel.”
When we asked about the reason Lorenzo’s closed so abruptly having open only in August 2015, she said: “No particular reason, there is just a new restaurant opportunity.”
The rep further confirmed that Lorenzo’s is off their lease.
We requested a comment from one of the owners of Lorenzo’s, Richard Knapp, but haven’t received any answer as of yet.
The entire closure seems rather strange, and the unwillingness of the landlord or the owners to provide at least a general reason certainly leaves a lot of room for speculation. Lorenzo’s certainly didn’t plan to close as Richard Knapp informed us only on January 7 that they have hired Corwin Kave as their new executive chef and Toby Maloney as their beverage director. Similarly, an update on Lorenzo’s Facebook page from only 16 hours ago routinely promotes a drink they offer.
Cayuga was also a landlord of other abruptly closed businesses in Bushwick such as Cain’s Tavern, which closed after an alleged 500% rent increase; and of Radio Bushwick, which closed due a legal dispute with the landlord over lacking fire alarms and sprinklers.