PROSPECT-LEFFERTS GARDENS — The landlord of the recently-closed Lincoln Park Tavern restaurant said she has rebuffed an offer from Starbucks and wants to fill the vacant storefront with a new local restaurant.
Rong Ge of Solaris Properties, owner of 49 Lincoln Rd., at Flatbush Avenue, said the Seattle coffee giant offered her more than $13,000 a month recently for the space previously occupied by the restaurant portion of Lincoln Park Tavern.
The tavern sold its last meals on Saturday, shuttered its restaurant and reopened on Monday using only its bar space. Its proprietor, Jim Mamary, and Ge both said the closure came after a protracted, two-year rent negotiation, with Mamary describing Ge as "very patient."
Ge said she hasn’t settled on a permanent replacement for the restaurant, but knows she doesn’t want a Starbucks in her building.
“We already have a coffee shop,” she said, referring to Tip of the Tongue, located next door to Lincoln Park Tavern and included in her property. “I want to give them a chance.”
A Starbucks representative would not comment specifically on an offer made by the company at 49 Lincoln Rd., but said the chain is "always looking for great locations."
"At this time, we remain focused on serving the Brooklyn neighborhood at our existing stores and have no store opening plans to announce," spokeswoman Megan Adams said in a statement.
Ge said her "ideal" situation is to find another local restaurant to move in — she fielded one offer from a Japanese restaurant, she said — but has not yet found the right fit.
This fall, Mamary opened the bar and restaurant Bluebird Food and Spirits around the corner from Lincoln Park Tavern at 504 Flatbush Ave.
