Attention, regular customers of the Hawaiian Tropic Zone in Times Square: As of Saturday, you'll need to find a new place to gawk. According to the Daily News, the theme restaurant is closing temporarily to overhaul the space with a $500,000 renovation that's been planned for months.
Gothamist wonders if this has anything to do with the swirl of allegations the HTZ has faced recently -- including sexual harassment and discriminatory hiring practices -- but the mouthpiece for the self-dubbed Hottest Place on Earth denies any connection.
The two-tiered space will reopen May 1 as a "one-story bistro" 3,100 square feet smaller than the original restaurant. We doubt anything else will be smaller when the tanfastic tourist hub reopens -- certainly not the waitstaff's hearts.
