Lucky Lees announced on Instagram it has closed its doors in Greenwhich Village for good.
The Chinese inspired restaurant got off to a rocky start when it marketed itself as a more “clean” and less “oily” and “icky” version of Chinese food. Followers on social media blasted the description as racist. Proprietor Arielle Haspel and her husband Lee are White.
“It is with a heavy heart that we are shutting down our woks and ovens tonight. We have truly loved feeding and entertaining you and your families,” the restaurant posted on Instagram. “We are very proud of our food and the space we created, but a lot needs to come together to make a restaurant work in New York City and we wish it could have succeeded as we hoped.”
The announcement failed to elicit any sympathy, with some actually celebrating the restaurant’s closing.
“Thanks for sh*tting on our culture,” wrote one.
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“Next time don’t start a brand off by making fun of another culture,” said another.
“Thank Buddah for this,” joked a third.
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