Riverdale Garden closes for good
Put a fork in it, the Riverdale Garden is done.
The Manhattan College Parkway restaurant will remain shuttered even after its owner, Michael Sherman, beseeched the community for financial support to keep it afloat.
Last month, the chef gave Riverdale couples two weeks to pony up $250,000 to save the eatery. Part of the funds would pay off late rent to his landlord, and the rest would help spruce up the building's exterior.
Investors would get their money back in a set number of "free" meals throughout the years.
To get out of the red, Mr. Sherman needed 50 couples to donate $5,000. But after two weeks of campaigning, only 29 made a pledge.
His "plan B" was to open a restaurant on a more bustling street, Riverdale Avenue. Now, he appears to want to abandon the northwest Bronx altogether.
"Seems to me like Riverdale in general doesn't care enough about food," he said.
Mr. Sherman's lease is officially up Nov. 30 and he "doesn't know the details yet" on what will happen to the space. For now, Riverdale Garden's answering machine states the restaurant is "closed until further notice."
Although 29 people opened their checkbooks, Mr. Sherman said he never collected a penny and only planned to do so if he had 50 confirmed investors.
The entrepreneur is considering opening a restaurant in the Upper West Side, but said it would be "quite some time" before he does.
