Thought to be gone for good, Hamilton’s Black Forest Inn to reopen next month
Reopening of the iconic Bavarian restaurant comes just weeks after it announced what seemed to be its permanent closure.
https://www.thespec.com/business/ham...ae915bdca.html
One of Hamilton’s oldest and most beloved restaurants is making a comeback — with new ownership.
The Black Forest Inn announced on social media Wednesday that the King Street East eatery would be reopening in early October — just weeks after another announcement suggested the restaurant would be shuttered permanently.
Back in early September, the restaurant wrote on social media that it would not be reopening after the summer as planned “due to financial constraints,” noting that it would be closed “until further notice.”
That changed this week, with a social media post announcing the reopening of the iconic 58-year-old Bavarian restaurant as well as a sponsorship deal with German beer company, Krombacher.
“We are back,” read the post. “And we couldn’t have done it without you. A heartfelt thank you to our incredible patrons for your unwavering support.”
The restaurant will reopen on Oct. 3 starting with takeout and delivery, with dine-in services expected to resume Oct 9.
Restaurant general manager Paul Wells told The Spectator that the reopening does not involve Joe Accardi, the co-founder of Forge and Foster, who heads the corporations that owned the building and business. He would not comment on the new ownership, but reiterated their appreciation for the support of their customers.
“We can’t wait to sell some schnitzels,” added Wells.
The Spectator reached out to Accardi for comment but did not hear back before deadline.
The restaurant had said it would be temporarily closed for renovations this past summer, with plans to reopen on Sept. 4.
A social media post at that time reiterated that the closure was not permanent.
But in early September, the restaurant posted on social media that it would not be reopening. But it also alluded to hope that the business would carry on.
Wells told The Spectator at that time that the restaurant team was “working toward a solution to solve the issues that currently exist.”
In March, the corporations that own the building and restaurant — both headed by Accardi — went into receivership after defaulting on more than $2.5 million owed to TD Bank.
News of the reopening made waves on social media Wednesday, with hundreds of people celebrating the return of the eatery best known for its schnitzel platters and traditional vibes.
The near-permanent closure of the Black Forest Inn comes months after documents filed by TD Bank claimed Accardi’s ownership group has recently “gone silent” in response to payment demands.
The lender acknowledged the pandemic and its aftermath “have not been kind to restaurants,” but noted it only applied to the courts to appoint a receiver “after numerous defaults, unfulfilled promises (and) missed payments” by the corporations headed by Accardi and his co-director, brother Mark Accardi.
The brothers, best known as co-founders of investment management firm Forge and Foster, have faced increasing financial challenges coming out of the pandemic.
Forge and Foster was originally involved in renovating six apartments atop the Black Forest Inn after Joe Accardi’s corporation bought the restaurant from longtime owners Wolfgang and Gabi Schoen in 2016 with a promise to maintain the traditional German and Austrian fare and ambience.
The restaurant ran into a series of challenges in recent years, however.
In 2019, three former servers filed a human rights complaint alleging age discrimination. The parties later reached what was jointly described as an “amicable resolution” of the issues, with the former, longtime workers urging customers to continue patronizing the restaurant.
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