End of an Era: Dumont Has Been Evicted
After twelve years in its Union Avenue location, Williamsburg stalwart Dumont has been evicted.
Via Bedford + Bowery, an eviction notice (see below) dated March 21 was posted on the door of the Brooklyn restaurant, indicating that rent had not been paid for the first three months of this year, as well as September of last year. Although Dumont has been a fixture in the Brooklyn dining scene for well over a decade—beloved for its burgers, mac ‘n’ cheese, and for being one of the borough’s pioneers of the farm-to-table movement—rumors of the restaurant’s financial problems were circling as early as last year, when Dressler (operated by the same owners) abruptly closed. It seemed impossible that the eternally popular Dumont could be plagued by monetary issues, but the tragic suicide of owner Colin Devlin this past January was an indication that the business—and, of course, Devlin—had been having problems for some time. And although Devlin’s wife, Kristina Greene, pledged to continue on with the operations, it wasn’t long before Dumont closed. The closure followed an acrimonious split between Greene and Dumont Burger, which parted ways with Greene in late January. Dumont has ostensibly been closed for renovations (as per the website), but it now seems like it will be closed forever. (Dumont Burger remains open.)
After Devlin’s death, eulogies were written not only for the man, but also for Dumont and his other restaurants. Dumont was one of those rare places (like Diner, where Devlin once worked) that was emblematic of both Brooklyn’s past and present. The food was consistently delicious and defied any tendency toward dining trends, the staff was always warm and professional, and the cocktails well-made and thoughtfully conceived. It was one of those places that seemed impervious to the whims of the restaurant industry. And now it’s gone. The difference, of course, with Dumont is that, unlike the many restaurant closings that happen citywide in which we don’t know what the owners are going through, we have some idea of the difficulties—both professional and personal—that Greene has faced in the past few months, making Dumont’s end all the more tragic.
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