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How readers feel about Barbara Lynch’s restaurant closures
"This is a huge bummer."
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Local restaurateur and chef Barbara Lynch announced earlier this month that she would close the doors to three of her restaurants and sell two, according to a statement from her restaurant group, the Barbara Lynch Collective.
Restaurant Closings
The statement, which was published in The Boston Globe, said the Congress Street restaurants — Menton, Sportello, and Drink in Fort Point — closed due to an “uncooperative landlord” and “high rents.” The immediate closures of the restaurants will cost 100 staffers their jobs, the statement reads.
The Butcher Shop and Stir are “under agreement for sale” to unnamed “former protégés,” according to the statement. Three of Lynch’s restaurants will remain open: The Rudder in Gloucester, B&G Oysters in the South End, and No. 9 Park in Beacon Hill.
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The group said the recovery plan led by chief operations officer Lorraine Tomlinson-Hall “fell on deaf ears” with the Congress Street landlords. Tomlinson-Hall was hired last fall to “take a deep dive” into the finances of Lynch’s eight restaurants and found that earlier operational managers did not effectively respond to “post-pandemic realities,” the statement reads.
“We’re beyond disappointed that Acadia apparently would rather force out long-term tenants paying over market rates and push a hundred people out of work because they think they can get Seaport District rates,” Tomlinson-Hall said in the statement. “We have done everything possible to avoid putting these creative, dedicated, hard working people out of jobs, but had no choice when a working solution with the landlord wasn’t ‘agreeable’ to them.”
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The announcement comes several months after allegations surfaced accusing Lynch of abusive behavior and cultivating a toxic work environment. According to reports published last spring by New York Times and the Globe, those who worked for Lynch experienced “abusive outbursts and impulsive firings.” Her intoxication at work led to “lashing out at staff and guests, unwanted touching, and threats of violence.” Two former employees sued Lynch in March for allegedly shorting them on tips in the early days of the pandemic — a claim that Lynch has denied.
Lynch, one of Time magazine’s most influential people of 2017 and winner of multiple James Beard Foundation Awards, opened her first restaurant, No. 9 Park, in 1998 and continued to launch innovative spots in Greater Boston, eventually extending to the North Shore with the opening of The Rudder last year. Lynch’s empire was not excluded from the struggles restaurants faced during the pandemic. The cost of rent, food, and labor increased drastically, and still continue to do so, and patrons’ dining patterns have modified amidst the advent of remote work.
We asked readers for their favorite Barbara Lynch restaurant, and how they felt about the closures. Among the 443 readers who responded to our poll, most readers said that No. 9 Park was their favorite of Lynch’s restaurants. Many were divided about her restaurant closures and restructuring. Some shared how her alleged behavior signaled that structural changes needed to be made. Others described how they will miss dining out and making memories at her now-closed restaurants. We also heard from some readers who were saddened by the increasing rent in Boston, and behavior of landlords that caused the closures.
Which of Barbara Lynch's restaurants is your favorite?
Menton
7%
Sportello
11%
Drink
10%
The Butcher Shop
15%
Stir
1%
No. 9 Park
31%
B&G Oysters
14%
The Rudder
5%
Other
6%
Ahead, see a sampling of reader responses on the restructuring of Lynch’s prolific restaurants.
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Some responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
‘This is a huge bummer’
“This is so sad. Drink was such a special experience, so worth the wait. There’s really nothing similar right now in Boston, which I think will set the restaurant scene back in terms of other big cities. What a waste.”
—Rebecca M., Chestnut Hill
“This is disappointing but Lynch is a fighter who built a resectable and successful restaurant business only to have to face the realities of the cost of operating a business in Boston. She has earned respect by overcoming many hardships and she will survive this. Now each one of her disgruntled employees can start their own restaurant and see if they are up to the challenge. All the best to Barbara!”
—Tim B., Brighton
“Sportello had, what I believed, to be the best bolognese in the city – even including the North End. This is a huge bummer. Thinking of all the amazing employees there and hope they can get back on their feet soon.”
—Andrew, Natick
“Shocked and saddened. Some of my best dinners and nights out on the town were linked to these places. Anniversary dinners, celebrations, and ordinary nights.”
—Kimber, Stoneham
“Sad to learn about this but not necessarily surprising given the recent real estate cost increases. I’m particularly sad about Sportello, having been a diner there for, I think, perhaps 10 years. But situations are always changing and it is important for her business to pivot and adjust to market reality. Wherever the opportunities take the Collective, I’m confident that the results will be exciting and delicious.”
—Leigh, frequent Boston visitor
“Sad but expected. I have had my last 20 wedding anniversaries at No. 9 Park. The staff and restaurant was wonderful. I wish the best to Barbara in her reorganization.”
—Deran M., Belmont
“I love B&G Oysters and I had one of the most memorable birthday dinners at Menton. Although we had never met, Barbara Lynch extended herself to myself and my Italian students from Cathedral High School in the South End by opening Stir just for them one afternoon and provided them with not only lunch, but also a lesson in making fresh pasta and bolognese by her chef, free of charge. I will always be grateful for and remember her fondly for that. We will miss her in the South End and wish the very best to this extremely talented woman. Thank you Barbara! Best of luck and we will come visit you on the North Shore.”
—Nancy N., South End
“I am incredibly sad. My wife and I have been to most of her restaurants. Menton was one of my wife and my first dinner dates. I was hoping that Menton might be among the first restaurants to receive stars if the Michelin system were to come to Boston.”
—Julie M., Woburn
“As someone who grew up with Barbara, she is a person of the highest character and is highly successful in a male dominated industry. Barbara is an inspiration.”
—Edward G., Norwood
‘In the end your past always catches up with you‘
“You cannot beat up on your staff who make your restaurants run. While she was the founder and undoubtedly the creative mind to develop concepts for each entity, you still have to ‘mind the store.’ Everyone or anyone who survived the post-pandemic crush knew everything was different and change was paramount — plainly put it didn’t take six months to figure out.”
—Greg B., South Weymouth
“With all the things against her — hostile work environment, tip stealing — it’s good that they are dismantling all the restaurants and letting them be run by someone who truly knows how to run them. In the end your past always catches up with you. The only reason she made it this far is not really because of her talent but because the environment let her. She came up when the restaurant scene was not that competitive, so it was allowed to execute poorly. Also she came up in old Boston where connections helped propel you, she is related to Congressman Stephen Lynch.”
—John B., Boston
“Restructuring is a cover up for the ridiculous business practices of Lynch.”
—Dottie V., Brookline
“Good. As a former restaurant worker both in the kitchen and wait staff, a toxic workspace is so traumatic.”
—Audrey, Hopkinton
“About time. Sportello it’s about time, Menton not going to miss it, Drink that’s too bad.”
—Clayton H., Beacon Hill
“‘So long, and thanks for all the fish!’ All three were way past their prime. While the food was decent at Menton, the service was cold and uninspiring. The drinks were fantastic at Drink but you had to deal with the ego-driven bartenders intentionally trying to obfuscate what should be a simple and straightforward process. As a retired lifer from ‘the industry,’ these places were just a trap for scenesters with taste buds, but no real taste.”
—Ten K., Marblehead
‘The realty world is a devastating problem’
“Very sad to see her close so many treasured restaurants. Having recommended her restaurants to so many guests over the past 20 years I am disappointed that only national chains can afford to rent in the city.”
—Marc, Boston
“This is yet another instance of landlords being unwilling to work with successful and iconic Boston restaurants. Don’t New York my Boston.”
—Graham, MetroWest
“It’s sad and Barbara’s right… Boston’s restaurant scene is being gutted by greedy landlords, trusts and equity firms (like every other industry). Imagine losing out on great food, culture for a chain like Margaritaville? 🙄”
—JJH, Beacon Hill
“I totally agree with the reasons mentioned and understand why these closings will take place. The realty world is a devastating problem to many businesses across Greater Boston and this is a perfect example. Too much greed!! It must be controlled to protect and maintain places that we love to go to in hopes that they remain open for a long time.”
—Phyllis H., Framingham
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