Lodi, the Italian aperitivo-style cafe by Ignacio Mattos that debuted in Rockefeller Center in the fall of 2021, is closing “on or about October 30,” citing high operating expenses related to the increased cost of goods as the cause.
Lodi was among the first restaurants to open at the Midtown Art Deco landmark address as part of an ambitious turnaround effort led by developer Tishman Speyer. Restaurants from highly regarded teams, including Le Rock from the Frenchette duo, Korean-leaning Naro from Atomix, and all-day pasta and wine spot Jupiter from King, debuted nearby. Mattos earned praise from critics as well as a spot on the New York Times list of the 100 best restaurants in New York City.
“We deeply appreciate the efforts of Lodi’s staff and support from our guests and the community,” wrote Mattos in a statement to Eater. “We are saddened that economic events drove this closing. It has been an honor to serve our wonderful guests and the community over these years.”
This shutdown raises broader questions about the future of mid‑range independent cafes in high‑traffic, high-rent corridors of the city, particularly the notoriously challenging Rockefeller Center, which was hit hard during COVID and has not traditionally been considered a cool place to gather outside of the December holidays. Lodi, in particular, spotlights the perils of an all-day cafe that straddles tourist and local appeal in a more challenging economic climate.
Tishman Speyer, which has owned the property since the early 2000s, set out on the “next-level” multi-billion-dollar overhaul that stirred debate over whether the developer’s efforts to draw New Yorkers to Rock Center, in part by courting big-name chefs, would work. Prior to its opening, Eater reported that Rockefeller Center was betting its future on independent restaurants, citing how projects like the Market Line food hall on the Lower East Side in 2019 also attempted to bring New Yorkers to an area with big-name chefs. But with the Market Line having closed several years later, the shutter of Lodi is the first crack in the reinvented Rock Center facade.
Lodi’s opening marked the debut of one of the most luxurious new bakeries in the city, offering a kale and egg tart, a porchetta sandwich, a maritozzo con la panna, and a flauto al cioccolato (chocolate croissant). An alum of Blue Hill at Stone Barns, Louis Volle, oversaw the bakery and Viennoiserie. The restaurant opened with chef de cuisine Maxime Pradié running the kitchen; since then, he became the chef and owner of a little French spot, Zimmi’s, in the West Village. Lodi debuted with breakfast in the morning, followed by items like salumi, antipasti, and pastas from the all-day menu.
In the fall of 2023, the restaurant did away with its bakery anchor in order to add another 24 or so seats to the dining room. The move expanded the restaurant’s capacity to nearly 130 seats, including outdoor tables. Earlier that same year, the restaurant’s employees attempted to unionize with the Restaurant Workers Union Local 1.
After voting down unionization, workers filed unfair labor practice charges against Mattos with the National Labor Relations Board, which triggered a prolonged legal battle. In the spring, the case was heard by an Administrative Law Judge, who dismissed nearly all of the union’s claims, with the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) deeming that a rerun election was not justified, as it was “virtually impossible to conclude that the misconduct could have affected the election results.”
In the midst of the Lodi unionizing efforts, Mattos parted ways with his Dimes Square restaurant, the Corner Bar in the Nine Orchard Hotel. Andrew Rifkin, a managing partner at DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners, opened Nine Orchard in 2022; it’s in the process of being sold to a Texas hospitality group, McGuire Moorman Lambert (MML), that has recently hired chef April Bloomfield of Sailor in Fort Greene, to oversee all of the restaurants within their group.
Eater has reached out to a representative at Tishman Speyer to find out if there are any future plans for the Lodi space.
Dining and Cooking