The Curious Case Of La Grenouille's Closure & Sudden Sale

After opening some fifty-something years back, serving ever since as a watering hole for those whose wallets care to see and be seen, one of the Upper East Side's most fêted fancy favorites may be on its way out.

The doors of La Grenouille closed suddenly last June 27th, when the restaurant failed a pressure test on its gas pipes. And after promising a quick return, it wasn't until months later in November that they reopened, with a noticeably different - dare we say desperate - energy in tow...

Started by couple Charles and Gisèle Masson in 1962, the bi-level upscale French haunt has counted everyone from Truman Capote, Brooke Astor and David Rockefeller to Babe Paley, Michael Bloomberg and Madonna as regulars throughout the years. As is the semi-inevitable case with family businesses, at some point, someone gets the short end of the stick, and so it's just about right that brothers Charles and Philippe Masson have been fighting over the restaurant since their mother's death in 2014. In a made-for-Page-Six storyline, Philippe took control of the establishment from former manager Charles, alleging it was his mother's wish, with Charles then accusing Philippe of grossly misusing the businesses finances, treating the company as a personal bank account for purchases at Saks, Bergdorf's, even a New York Athletic Club membership. For context, back in 2018, the restaurant allegedly brought in $8.4 million in annual revenue, which is all well and good save the fact that they only counted between $100,000 and $250,000 in profit.

Leading up to their post-gas-pipe-issue return in November, La Grenouille hadn't posted on Instagram for two years. Certainly somebody there learned the words "social media strategy" this fall because the account started posting up a storm, promoting their new piano room and live jazz evenings - a programming switch that tried and true patrons read as a corny, desperate way to fill seats.

To those who've been reading the tea leaves, the recent news that the restaurant has been listed on Google as "temporarily closed" and that the three-story carriage house has been listed for sale at the asking price of $15 million (a very reasonable priced-to-sell number surely meant to move things along quickly) should come as no shock. But perhaps a curious little detail in all of this is that just before Christmas - before the announcement of the sale - ousted brother Charles published a piece in AirMail musing upon the good old days of the place, digging up anecdotes from its heyday. In it you'll find no mention of his brother or Charles's current lack of involvement in the restaurant.

All considered, you reckon this suspiciously timed editorial exercise was just a purely heartfelt goodbye letter, a way to align his name with the restaurant's successful run, or a move to rub his brother's nose in the mess that's been made?

[Photo via @lagrenouillenyc]