October 15, 2009 , 4:39 pm

A Reprieve for Tavern on the Green

By Glenn Collins

Preventing a mid-December shutting of Tavern on the Green, a federal judge said on Thursday that the landmark restaurant in Central Park — which filed for bankruptcy last month — will be able to remain open during the lucrative Christmas season and accept restaurant and party reservations through New Year’s Eve.
The current operators of the restaurant had threatened to lay off all of its more than 400 employees in December unless its landlord, the parks department, permitted it to remain past the expiration of its operating license at midnight on Dec. 31. The operators, the LeRoy family, said they needed additional time to auction and remove fixtures, artwork and furnishings that are worth more than $8 million.