Guy Fieri's Times Square Restaurant Closes
Guy's American Kitchen & Bar, the infamous Times Square restaurant from Guy Fieri, gave its final ride to Flavortown on New Year's Eve. Though there's no official explanation for the closure, according to estimates from Restaurant Business, the enormous, 500-seat dining room raked in approximately $17 million in sales last year, meaning there definitely wasn't a shortage of tourists stopping by for Guy-talian Nachos and Pulled Pork Slyders.
Of course, the restaurant's claim to fame isn't just the American flag decor, all the Ed Hardy-worthy memorabilia you can buy or the fact it comes from the host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. In 2012, New York Times food critic Pete Wells wrote a viral review asking Fieri the important questions, like "Hey, did you try that blue drink, the one that glows like nuclear waste?" and "How did nachos, one of the hardest dishes in the American canon to mess up, turn out so deeply unlovable?"
According to Grub Street, the final night of service required a $140 ticket, while sold-out VIP packages for spending New Year's Eve in true Fieri style went for as much as $800 a person.
"I'm proud that for over five and a half years, Guy's American in New York City served millions of happy guests from all over the world," Fieri said in a statement. "And upon the restaurant's closing, I'd like to say thank you to all of the team members and guests who made it all happen."
Whether you're a fan of Fieri or not, it's safe to say Wells won't be getting his checklist of questions answered anytime soon.
I guess it's time to give up on getting those questions answered. https://t.co/ak7ThC3Y0h
— Pete Wells (@pete_wells) December 28, 2017