Marc Forgione will close for the winter

With the arrival of the season’s first snowstorm somehow perfectly and horribly timed with the closing of indoor dining, Marc Forgione has decided to close his restaurants here — Forgione on Reade and Khe-Yo on Duane — until spring. UPDATE: Despite what his email says below, Khe-Yo is still open!

They will be offering some chickens under a brick to-go tomorrow through the weekend until they run out.

“This has been an incredibly difficult year for everyone but we are so proud of our teams at Marc Forgione, Peasant & Khe-Yo and how far we’ve come since we first reopened,” said Forgione in an Instagram post and in an email. “The reality is, without some kind of government support or aid, many of our employees will go without financial assistance for most of the winter.”

He has reinstituted a GoFundMe page for his staff, and pledged that this is 100 percent for the employees. While of course no donation is too small, one of $300 will get you an invitation to an exclusive virtual cooking class where Forgione will demonstrate some of his signature dishes and give out the recipes beforehand so you can cook alongside him in your own kitchen. (If someone does this, report back!!)

“We really wish we did not find ourselves in this position again,” he wrote. “We want to do everything we can to make sure every member of our team can make it through the winter and join us again when we reopen.”

 

11 Comments

  1. I’ve spent many years in the restaurant business and can empathize with staff regarding the effects of the pandemic.

    I have to say that I did dine at the Reade Street restaurant one night in September. The service was horrible. Once she took our order the waitress was no where to be found – ever. I had to ask 3 different people for utensils once my food arrived. Nothing worse than going out to eat, dropping some change, and having to do all the work myself. Food wasn’t too good either. Will never go there again.

  2. Marc Forgione is a staple among the Tribeca restaurant scene. It will be deeply missed this winter. The food and service has always been wonderful, and I will be one of the many rushing to order one of the few brick chickens before the official close for the season. My husband and I very much look forward to spring 2021, when we can welcome back Marc Forgione and his restaurants to our neighborhood.

    To Marc Forgione and his entire team, thank you for all the wonderful meals and memories. You will be greatly missed this winter.

  3. I could not disagree more with the above review. I have had many wonderful meals at both Marc Forgione, Peasant and Khe-Yo. Our meal at Khe-Yo two weeks ago was absolutely fantastic and their outside dining space was great. Marc has been working tirelessly throughout this pandemic to feed front line workers as well as keeping his restaurants open so that his employees have an income. Is it really necessary to take a shot at a neighbor when they are already suffering?

    • Could not agree with TribecaMom more. Have always had fantastic experiences at Marc Forgione. Their outdoor seating is a great addition and the food and service are always outstanding. The restaurant business is very tough right now and the people in it could use support, not criticism.

  4. Khe-Yo has been one of our mainstays since this whole thing began, both for delivery and dining outside. They’ve been the most dependable for delivery of any restaurant we’ve tried. When we’ve gone to dine at their very pleasant street set-up, the kitchen has been at its peak–have loved their recent specials, especially the fabulous, messy whole fried fish. Staff, too, has been great. We will miss them sorely.

  5. Hi Cassie here, Tribeca-born :-) and I work with Chef Marc. Just want to correct the above post that Khe-Yo is NOT closed. Khe-Yo is OPEN. We have just temporarily closed Restaurant Marc Forgione and Peasant for the winter. So please continue to order takeout from Khe-Yo (personally I highly recommend their Pho on a cold, snowy day). And THANK YOU to all of you fellow Tribeca residents for supporting us through this difficult time, I can promise you we (and especially Marc) appreciate it every single day!

  6. Hi, Khe-Yo is NOT closed! Khe-Yo is remaining open for takeout, delivery, etc.

    • Ok! I was going by what Marc said in his email — it sounded pretty clear that he was closing all three!

      • Thank you for the correction! Email was announcing the closing of Restaurant Marc Forgione and the chicken dinners at the restaurant. We made no mention or announcement of khe-yo closing in the email or our IG post. But our GoFundMe is for employees of all our restaurants so that’s probably where the confusion is. Thank you!

  7. I think Khe-Yo has the best food in Tribeca! So glad they are staying open and will continue to support them!

  8. My husband and I have been going to Marc Forgione
    since its ineption: aka FORGE. It is our favorite restaurant for the creative menu, the atmosphere and the people. When Khe-Yo was born, it became our lunch table. The people there a terrific and the neighborhood really, really, needed a delicious place to eat that was affordable and comfortable. I’ll be happy to go to the go fund me page that Marc set up and donate to such a worthy cause.

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