"Starr Restaurants' agreement with La Mercerie has reached its natural conclusion," reads a statement from the group to Eater. "We are proud of the partnership and wish the restaurant nothing but continued success. As Starr Restaurants expands its portfolio, we remain focused on creating new dining experiences and growing in dynamic markets across the country."
But for restaurateur Stephen Starr, this stretch of wooden planks is more than a backdrop for a family summer vacation. It's where he learned how to do business. Starr worked three summers as a teenager in one of the boardwalk shops, thrusting anything he could - T-shirts, trinkets - into tourists' clamoring hands. "I learned everything about business from being on that boardwalk," he said. "You saw the best and the worst of people, the best and worst of yourself. And we worked 14 hours a day, six days a week."
The long-awaited reopening of what's now Stephen Starr's Babbo is one of the hottest reservations in town, a caldron of buzz for more reasons than one. Starr hired Mark Ladner, Mario Batali's former right hand, who started at sibling spot Lupa (that Starr also purchased) and rose the ranks to lead the kitchen at what became the Michelin-starred Del Posto. But Babbo also has ghosts to contend with: Batali exited the company in 2017 after a sexual harassment scandal. Now, outside its soon-to-open doors, Scabby the Union Rat and protestors hold "BOYCOTT BABBO" signs.