When the restaurateur Elaine Kaufman died last year, the manager who inherited her legendary restaurant on the Upper East Side said, “We’re going to try to run it as usual.”
On Tuesday, less than six months later, the manager, Diane Becker, announced she was giving up because Elaine’s “was not a viable business” anymore. She said the restaurant’s last night would be May 26, with the final last call arriving about 4 a.m. the following morning.
The decision to shut down what was once a see-and-be-seen hangout for writers, editors and actors reflected “financial reality,” Ms. Becker said.