After one last night of dancing, music and rum shots, Dino’s closed its doors on Monday, the bar’s management announced last week. The business — which has been in Collegetown for 30 years — was unable to renew its lease for the coming year, according to Michael Maley, Dino’s assistant manager.
Saturday and Sunday night, the bar held “LIQUIDation parties,” according to one sign in its window, and tried to sell as much of its remaining inventory as possible. While it remained unclear if the bar would someday reopen, Maley said the owner of Dino’s had “accepted the fact that the bar needs to close.”
Dino’s and the owner of its building, Evelyn Lambrou, agreed to one-year leases for the last three years. The leases were renewed each spring. But over the last several months, Lambrou did not respond to efforts by the owner of Dino’s, Michael Sinensky, to contact her, according to Maley. Without a new lease, the bar must close on Monday, he said.
“The owner made his best efforts to contact the landlord,” Maley said.
Lambrou could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
“Everyone is very shocked and saddened to see one of their favorite places having to close its doors,” said Maley, who has worked at Dino’s for about six years. “People don’t know what to do.”
“It’s sad that I can’t come back and visit and see my coworkers,” said bartender Emily Casey ’11.
Casey, who graduated on Sunday, expressed concern for the juniors who had worked at Dino’s and must now look for new jobs.
Dino’s employees were told last week that the bar would close.
Maley emphasized that Sinensky— who declined to comment for this article — was treating Dino’s employees well during the closure.
“The owner has been very, very kind to all the employees,” Maley said. “There will always be a spot for them at one of the locations in New York [City] that he runs.”
Sinensky owns several bars in New York City and plans to focus his attention on those businesses, Maley said.
Original Author: Michael Linhorst