central park

Mystery Billionaire Saves Renowned Central Park Restaurant From Closure: Reports

Exterior of Loeb Boathouse
NBC New York

A well-known Central Park restaurant was supposedly set to close its doors for good, but has been saved by a mystery billionaire, according to reports.

A secret donor has swooped in with a $6 million offer to save the beloved Loeb Boathouse, which was slated to close in October. Operator Dean Poll previously said he had no choice but to shut down because of the skyrocketing costs of labor and goods, with all 163 employees at the restaurant set to be laid off.

But after hearing the news, an anonymous billionaire offered to help finance the boathouse, which sits along the easternmost edge of the Central Park Lake. The reported deal with help keep the restaurant open under Poll's current deal with the city.

The restaurant reopened in March 2021 after temporarily shutting down in Oct. 2020 during the pandemic.

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