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April 5, 2007
Thank God It's Gone: TGIF Space for Rent
For all we know we're months behind the curve on this one, but we just noticed that there's a large For Rent sign adorning the historic building (formerly Gage & Tollner's) at 372 Fulton Street where the T.G.I.F. flag used to fly. (A wider view on the jump.) Given the existing dining and retail options in the immediate area, it's hard to imagine anything too upscale taking its place, but one can hope. As these photos from Forgotten NY show, the interior (which has landmark status) certainly deserves something more than a glorified fast-food franchise. But could this location support something like an upscale steakhouse at this point in time?
Comments
I bet all the people moving into 110 Livingston like to spring for a good steak every so often.
Posted by: Meat Eater at April 5, 2007 12:46 PM
And BellTel residents - and (eventually) the residents of the condo that will be going up at the end of the strip at Albee Square. And let's not forget the guests at the under-construction Sharaton Aloft two blocks over.
Hopefully some restaurateur sees all this coming and puts in an appropriate shop.
Posted by: EJ at April 5, 2007 12:49 PM
I think the neighboorhood could start moving in the right direction with an upscale eatery. It's a beautiful building that should have a restaurant worthy of it. Do we really need yet another fast food joint? Aren't there enough of them already?
Posted by: GuyFromDoBro at April 5, 2007 1:13 PM
That used to be Gage & Tollner's and I have to say that, while I never went to that restaurant before it closed I was very sad to see a TGIF move in in it's place.
I hope that TGIF left the interior intact as this is what it used to look like:
I hope the html works. Anyway, I also hope that someone takes it over and returns it to what it deserves to be.
Posted by: Rich Woods at April 5, 2007 1:37 PM
I guess the html didn't work...
Here's the URL for that image:
http://www.tipsontables.com/GageandTollner.jpg
Posted by: Rich Woods at April 5, 2007 1:38 PM
Wow, Rich - pretty cool inside. Doubt TGIF kept it like that.
On the other hand, the curtain and light fixture (but especially the curtain) that can be seen in the top picture in this article don't look very "Friday's"-like, so maybe they didn't completely gut and destroy all the original detailing.
Posted by: EJ at April 5, 2007 1:52 PM
the interior of this space has been landmarked, so they couldn't have made any real changes or destroyed anything protected.
Posted by: GT fan at April 5, 2007 1:59 PM
Yes, they kept the interior. But the service was beyond terrible (never mind the food!).
Posted by: Anonymous at April 5, 2007 2:20 PM
I believe the gas lit scones are still there...I had my birthday dinner there a year or so before the turned it into tgif, I remember eating there a couple tiimes as a kid, it was great. Wasnt there a stabbing in there the first week they opened?...I doubt it will beccome anything special...it jumped the shark when Steven Segal got threatened by the mob there a few years ago...
Posted by: lifer at April 5, 2007 2:27 PM
I ate there a few times when it was a TGIF and the inside looked pretty amazing. so whoever moves in will have a beautiful space to work with.
Posted by: BrooklynZoo at April 5, 2007 2:39 PM
I'm pretty sure that is new - I don't think it was there last weekend when I passed by there. But as for being able to support a higher end restaurant, I don't think its quite there. Maybe in a couple years when some more of the projects around there are finished.
Posted by: dahl at April 5, 2007 4:13 PM
isn't belltel already open for business?
Posted by: GT fan at April 5, 2007 4:23 PM
G&Ts was an upscale steak house
Posted by: Anonymous at April 5, 2007 5:38 PM
"isn't belltel already open for business?"
They're selling units, but no closings/move-ins yet. So open for business, but no residents.
Posted by: EJ at April 5, 2007 6:16 PM
hope that the restaurant has gas-lit sconces; i don't like my scones charred. i hear the rent is $30,000/month. love the pictures on kevin's site. there's a dinner smoking in one picture ... now THAT is forgotten new york.
Posted by: Anonymous at April 5, 2007 6:29 PM
$30,000 a month !!!!!! That's a big nut to crack. Doesn't sound like a first time business can pull that off.
Posted by: GuyFromDoBro at April 5, 2007 8:23 PM
On the other hand, McDonalds and its ilk won't want to pay those rates. Anything that goes in there should expect a certain level of quality in its food in order to charge the prices required to cover overhead.
So - it'll be good or it'll be vacant, methinks.
Posted by: EJ at April 5, 2007 9:10 PM
cell phones, cell phones, get your free cell phones.
Posted by: Anonymous at April 6, 2007 9:34 AM
No way a cell phone co. can afford that rent. Or want to deal with a landmarked interior.
Posted by: EJ at April 6, 2007 10:37 AM
Interior was more or less intact, as above poster noted, it is landmarked, and TGIF couldn't mess with it. I preferred Friday's to the place being empty, which it was for far too long, before Friday's took it. It's far too easy to have mysterious damage, and God forbid, fires set in an empty building. I hope someone puts something nice in there, and more importantly, the place is patronized. For all the talk of how horrible Fulton Mall is, when Gage and Tollner was open, it was not patronized, thus helping to keep the area at a lower economic scale. They even sprung for valet parking, and offered local businesses perks and special offers. Businesses can't survive unless we, the public, patronize them. Let's put our money where our mouths are next time.
Posted by: Anonymous at April 6, 2007 4:30 PM
Well, Gage & Tollner was open during a period when I really couldn't afford to go eat there since I was new to the city. If something nice along the lines of Gage & Tollner were to open there now I'd go in a heartbeat (since I'm in a better position to afford to eat somewhere like that) just to eat a great dinner under those gas lamps.
Posted by: Rich Woods at April 9, 2007 4:28 PM
an upscale restaurant will be a breath of fresh air to the stagnant stream of electronic stores.
Posted by: olsen.miles@earthlink.net at April 25, 2007 5:09 PM
It would be fabulous to come back as a successful, classy place. Brooklyn Heights is weird because it's a very elegant neighborhood but other than Noodle Pudding and a handful of other restaurants, there's a lot of failure in the hood. I think maybe it's the weird balance between courthouse lunch places and family evening places?
Posted by: guest at October 8, 2007 6:24 PM
turn it into a theather that shows $5 shit flicks
Posted by: guest at October 8, 2007 11:39 PM
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