Aug. 19, 2020 By Christian Murray
The owner of John Brown Smokehouse is closing his Long Island City restaurant citing the pandemic and “idiot politicians” as the reason.
Josh Bowen, who opened the restaurant at 10-43 44th Dr. eight years ago, said his lease had come to an end and that it made little sense to renew it at a time when there is so much uncertainty surrounding COVID-19.
The venue, best known for its traditional sweet and smoky style barbecue, has yet to close and he will be making announcement as to a closing date soon.
Bowen said that he will convert his second restaurant—Mothership Meat Company located at 27-20 40th Ave. in Dutch Kills – into a John Brown Smokehouse. The 40th Avenue venue, he said, is more geared toward outdoor dining, with a garden that can seat 100 people in normal times.
Bowen said that it had become difficult to operate on 44th Drive and called the strip “a ghost town.” Earlier this month LIC Market, another restaurant on 44th Drive, closed.
Josh Bowen at Mothership Meat Company (Photo: Courtesy of Mothership Meat Company)
“Business has become untenable at our present location and it’s time to move on,” Bowen wrote in a social media post Tuesday.
“It is bittersweet to leave 44th Dr but between COVID and our idiot local politicians, nothing will ever flourish there for decades,” Bowen wrote, referring to the elected officials who opposed the Amazon HQ2 development—after initially calling for it to come to Long Island City.
Bowen, a fierce advocate for the Amazon deal, got into a public spat on twitter with local elected officials over their change of heart. He said that these spats, however, didn’t lead to a decline in business.
“It didn’t put a dent in business because everyone hates these politicians,” Bowen claimed.
Bowen, however, said that their anti-business rhetoric has put a damper on the growth of 44th Drive.
“We thought the neighborhood would grow around us, and it was, until the worst political regime in modern memory started doing things other than cashing donor checks,” Bowen wrote.
Bowen, however, said that he is still all-in on New York City and rejects those rooting against the Big Apple.
“We will stay and we will fight,” he wrote. “NYC isn’t a playground or a political experiment for us. It is our home….and we will do what real NYers do, go to work.”
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11 Comments
It was admittedly a delicious restaurant, but the owner was way too self-absorbed and turned out to be virulently anti-community, much like the Skillman avenue businesses that came out against the popular protected bike lanes….
PSA FOR BUSINESSES: protest against your community at your own risk…you WILL lose the very customers you rely on. Looking at us as dollar values and valuing those with cars (or more expensive cars) as worth more than those who have allowed you to build yourself up is misguided and terrible business strategy.
That sucks. When are those 2 morons ever going to open up restaurants? Thanksgiving?
Too bad so sad. We need more vegan restaurants anyways. They’re better for the environment.
Barbie Doll…Hoping you see me wearing my fur coat this winter. lol
Ok Barbie, I will try eating more vegans,
But I find they are not very tasty. seriously do you own any leather products? Shoes,
Handbag,Pants or even a whip or u just buy the fake stuff! Don’t you know plants have feelings too! We need to stop slaughtering all the veggies. Ok, got to go now and get me some artery blocking red meat while it’s still legal, Yum
Yum.
I’m really Sorry to See this place close and all the small business’s who put so much of THEIR money and sweat into trying to create and build something.
Any comment from Little Jimmy re the destruction in our neighborhood? I hear crickets chirping.
Jimmy and rioting were never mentioned. You don’t have to copy/paste this on EVERY article.
Comparing Dumblazio and Cuomo to idiots is insulting.
To idiots.
Wow. Too bad he never hooked up with Seamless. If I could have had John Brown’s delivered I would have down it at least twice a week for the last 3 months. I kept thinking it would eventually happen. I wonder why not?
Food app companies like Seamless or Uber steal a large percentage of profits. Sometimes all of it. So some restaurants refuse to use them. Sad to see another great restaurant die off.
What happened to Mad Cow Bowen’s lawsuit against JVB?