P*ong and Batch Close; Batch 2.0 Already Planned

Pichet Ong, the chef and owner of P*ong, and its attached boutique bakery Batch, chose to announce this weekend’s closure of both establishments through Facebook, which might be a first for a high-profile eatery. Batch, the well regarded home for glittery cupcakes and tiramisu retrofitted with the flavors of Thai iced tea, will aim for another incarnation in a different space. Citing unaffordable rents, Ong said this morning: “Our business had been down by 40% from the first year. Purveyors were reducing prices to make it easier for us and our staff appropriately downsized, but we couldn't negotiate the rent down to the current business model we've been operating with.” As for the next Batch, Ong said that he’ll do consulting work around town (likely for former boss John Georges Vongerichten, we’d guess). The chef will also be “preparing to open a bigger and more delicious Batch.”, to be located in an as-yet-unnamed Chelsea space.

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By Hugh Merwin in Food on March 20, 2009 1:50 PM

Comments [rss]

killerasp

the landlord is going to beg them to come back when he doesnt find a new tenant for another 6 months or more.

Peter

Let's not jump to blame the landlord. A 40% drop in business is not going to be easy to survive even if the rent had been much lower.

Nora Rocket

No, no, noooooooo! Batch, nooooooo!

MT

Are landlords on crack? I can't believe that they are still pricing people out of their spaces. It's not like they are going to find anyone else to put into the space they just forced some otherwise viable business out of.