One of Weehawken’s most famous landmark restaurants is closing down after almost 20 years by the waterfront.
Arthur’s Landing was established in 1989 by businessman Arthur Imperatore – also founder of the NY/NJ Waterway ferry service – who built the restaurant on property he purchased from the bankrupt Penn Central railroad in 1981.
With spectacular views of Manhattan and a continuously fresh seasonal menu, Arthur’s Landing attracted food aficionados from both sides of the river.
Arthur’s Landing was in the news just last month as one of the rescue centers where passengers from U.S. Airways Flight 1549 were brought after an emergency crash landing in the Hudson River. Members of the Weehawken Volunteer First Aid Squad tended to passengers at the site, while the staff at Arthur’s Landing provided food and coffee and dry clothes.
Doomed by plunging economy
“I can’t believe it’s closing, they used to do a lot of functions for big corporations,” said longtime customer Virginia Ramos of West New York.
“It’s a devastating loss.” – Nora Crespo
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On the restaurant’s website, which is no longer fully functioning, was a message for restaurant patrons posted on Tuesday, Feb. 3rd from Armand Pohan, chairman of Dry Dock Restaurant Corp. Dry Dock operates Arthur’s Landing, which has 200 seats and employed a staff of 70.
“For almost 20 years,” the message reads, “Arthur’s Landing has provided a wonderful fine-dining experience to thousands of patrons. Unfortunately, the severe downturn of the economy, which actually began at least a year ago, has had a devastating impact upon numerous high-end restaurants, including Arthur’s Landing.”
The message goes on to say that the severity of the plunging economy has left them no choice but to close immediately. They also expressed their gratitude to the community for their support during the last 20 years.
Representatives of Arthur’s landing could not be reached for comment by press time.
Helped drive waterfront rebirth
“It is always disappointing to lose a landmark,” said Mayor Richard Turner. “Arthur’s Landing was the second restaurant to open in the mid-80s that provided the first public use for the waterfront for over 100 years.”
According to Turner, prior to the opening the docks and property along the waterfront were privately owned by the shipyard companies and railroads. When the companies along the waterfront went bankrupt, entrepreneurs such as Arthur Imperatore purchased the lands for public use. The first ventures to open were the restaurants Shanghai Red and Arthur’s Landing.
“These were the first facilities open to the general public on the waterfront, and contributed to the gradual rebirth of the waterfront,” said Turner.
The closing came as a shock to some of the restaurant’s staff. According to the Bergen Record, General Manager John Woloshyn and executive chef Michael Haimowitz, who were preparing for the Valentine’s weekend, were told of the closing on Feb 3. The restaurant had 200 reservations for Saturday alone.
According to the Record, the unused food from the restaurant is being donated to Table to Table, a food-rescue program that shares unused food with charities that can disperse it.
Mayor Turner calls the closing another sign of the very severe economic downturn hitting the metropolitan area. However, he hopes that the facility will one day reopen.
“There is always hope that someone will do a joint venture with the Dry Dock Corp. and reopen [the facility] as a restaurant someday,” said Turner. “