July 6, 2026
86'd by the rent, chef
Tom Colicchio's Final Service
NYC loses a dining legend as commenters shrug, sigh, and blame the bills
TLDR: Tom Colicchio is closing Craft, his famous New York restaurant, after 25 years, blaming soaring costs and a harsh business climate. Commenters are sad to lose a landmark, but the loudest mood is blunt: this is terrible, yet ordinary people squeezed by the same costs don’t feel responsible for saving it.
Tom Colicchio’s final night at Craft had all the ingredients of a New York drama: a celebrity chef, a rising mayor on date night, a last-minute bombshell, and a dining room staring down the end of an era. The Top Chef star told Mayor Zohran Mamdani, right at the table, that if commercial rents had gotten the same relief as apartment renters, maybe Craft wouldn’t be closing the very next day. That line alone feels like it was written by HBO.
But the real emotional punch came from the community reaction, which was a mix of heartbreak, exhaustion, and a very New York kind of shrug. The standout comment from hobonation basically captured the whole mood in one blunt burst: costs are sky-high, losing the restaurant is sad, but regular people aren’t exactly volunteering to feel guilty about it. That’s the tension making this story sting. On one side: Craft is an icon, Colicchio is a giant, and people hate seeing a classic go down. On the other: rent, taxes, labor, and food prices are crushing everyone, not just famous chefs.
There’s also a darkly funny edge to it all. Colicchio’s joke to the mayor landed like a perfect last-course burn, and commenters seem to be responding with the same weary humor: yes, this is tragic, but also, welcome to the bills nightmare everyone else has been living in. The vibe is less candlelit farewell, more “beloved institution meets brutal spreadsheet.”
Key Points
- •Tom Colicchio’s flagship New York restaurant Craft is closing after 25 years, with its final service scheduled for Saturday, June 27.
- •Craft played a major role in Colicchio’s rise, earning a James Beard Award for Best New Restaurant in 2002 and three stars from *The New York Times*.
- •The article says Colicchio continued working regularly as a chef at Craft even after gaining wider fame through television and books.
- •Colicchio cited high rent, labor, and food costs as factors in the closure, and the article also points to broader economic pressure and recession concerns.
- •The article says Colicchio believes changing diner preferences and weaker demand for certain dishes also contributed to the restaurant’s difficulties.