David Bouley

The lights will go out at the Delphi in Tribeca this Halloween and they won’t come on again. The gyros, the hummus, the toasted pita—all of the staples of Greek cooking which Tribeca residents have consumed for over three decades will have to be found elsewhere.

After a dispute with the landlord, the nearly 37-year-old, two-story restaurant did not renew its lease at 109 West Broadway and will be looking for another location in Tribeca, according to owner Bill Moutsatsos. While there may have been arguments between Mr. Moutsatsos, brokers and the owners of the building, the Gindi Family, the final deciding factor was simple—a small local diner can’t afford to pay $55,000 a month in rent.

Cue David Bouley.

According to The Tribeca Trib, Brushstroke, a Japanese restaurant owned by Mr. Bouley will be filling the now vacant space. Mr. Moutsatsos confirmed to The Observer that brokers had mentioned Mr. Bouley as a possible new tenant. Mr. Bouley's representatives would not comment on Brushstroke.

Mr. Bouley already has six establishments in Tribeca. Bouley is located at 120 West Broadway; Austrian-inspired Danube is at 30 Hudson Street; the Bouley Bakery, Market, and Upstairs are all located at 130 West Broadway; and the Test Kitchen is at 88 West Broadway. A new French restaurant, also, is planned for the Mohawk Building at 161 Duane Street.
It’s clear that Mr. Bouley’s empire has expanded a great deal since the 1991 opening of his first restaurant, the eponymous one at 120 West Broadway. But what’s with the narrow geographic range? Mr. Bouley doesn’t have any establishments outside of Tribeca, and most of his businesses are on the same street!

Is this a sign of a lack of imagination, or good business sense? Mr. Bouley seems to be doing pretty well for now, albeit at the expense of the small restaurant owner. Mr. Moutsatsos expressed his sadness at the end of his tenure at this location. He said he would look for a new location in the same neighborhood.

“Of course in Tribeca,” he said. “Because the people they know me here.”

Mr. Moutsatsos and Mr. Bouley seem to have a similar sensibility about these things.