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Read the press release here.

Teany Cafe to Get New Management after Health Violation Shutdown

By Julie Shapiro | January 3, 2012 7:11pm
Teany Cafe has been closed since Dec. 29, 2011.
Teany Cafe has been closed since Dec. 29, 2011.
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DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

LOWER EAST SIDE — A trendy Rivington Street cafe founded by musician Moby will reopen under new management, after racking up a whopping 90 violation points in a health inspection last week, a partner in the restaurant said.

Teany Cafe, a vegetarian eatery, was already in the midst of the management change when the Health Department shut it down last Thursday after finding flies, food stored at unsafe temperatures, contaminated food and no facilities to wash utensils and equipment, according to city records.

"One of our co-investors is going to personally start running the place," said Dan Moran, 41, a partner at Teany.

Moran said several of the violations were related to the management switch, including a violation for not having food safety-related paperwork. He added that workers were replacing the dishwasher on the day of the health inspection, and that the cafe was not open that day, which explains a citation for a lack of sanitizing equipment.

Signs outside Teany Cafe said it would reopen under new management.
Signs outside Teany Cafe said it would reopen under new management.
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DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

Moran hoped to reopen Teany as soon as Tuesday afternoon.

As part of the management transition, Teany has also been getting a cosmetic overhaul, with a fresh coat of paint and some new furniture, Moran said.

Some menu items may be changing as well.

"We keep asking people that come here a lot, 'Which things do you like the best?'" Moran said.

Dishes that previously disappeared from the menu may be returning by popular demand, like the shepherd's pie, Moran said.

The cafe, founded in 2002 by Moby and his now-ex-girlfriend Kelly Tisdale, suffered a major fire in June 2009 but reopened 10 months later. The casual eatery serves mostly vegan food, including soups, salads, sandwiches and dairy-free baked goods.

Moby is still involved in the Teany line of beverages but is no longer part of the restaurant, Moran said. Tisdale is also no longer involved either.

The health inspection that closed Teany, first reported by The Lo-Down, came just 10 days after another inspection, on Dec. 19, which netted 58 violation points for similar issues. The city allowed Teany to remain open after that inspection.

Under the city's restaurant grading system, any eatery that receives 28 points or more makes it eligible for a C.

Over the weekend, handwritten signs appeared outside the closed restaurant, saying, "New Management Reopening Soon!"