‘Legendary’ Theater District spot, West Bank Cafe, could close by August

MIDTOWN, Manhattan (PIX11) – Once saved by its community, Theater District staple West Bank Cafe is again facing an imminent closure. 

The restaurant, which houses the Laurie Beechman Theater, has struggled to catch up since the pandemic. After being unfairly denied multiple COVID-19 relief grants, it could close as soon as August, according to Tom D’Angora, who made a GoFundMe for the West Bank Cafe. 

As they did years before, hundreds of people have stepped in and donated over $48,000 to a GoFundMe to keep the cafe afloat. 

“It is left up to us as a community to once again step up and take care of our own,” wrote D’Angora. 

In 2020, the community raised $350,000 with a star-studded telethon to prop up the West Bank Cafe during COVID-19. 

“What is more clear than ever is that this restaurant does not just belong to Steve [Olsen] and Janet, it belongs to all of us. It is truly our West Bank Cafe and I believe we can once again pull off a miracle TOGETHER,” D’Angora said

The cafe opened in 1978 years ago and is home to the Laurie Beechman Theater, which has seen regular attendance from stars like Bruce Willis, Howard Stern and more. 

“It is the stage where Joan Rivers performed her final set. It is the room where the original cast of 'Sunday in the Park With George' rehearsed. It is where the Tony Award-winning play 'Side Man' debuted, where Aaron Sorkin's first two works were produced, where Lewis Black and Rusty Magee cut their teeth,” D’Angora said. 

The restaurant has since become a go-to spot for a pre-theater meal or after-show drinks, while the theater has become a common spot to see soon-to-be superstars, D'Angora said. Some locals explained what the Manhattan spot means on the GoFundMe.

"This truly is a hometown place for anyone from anywhere to feel they are with friends," wrote Randi Honig. "What would New York be without a Laurie Beechman Theater!"