Why Stone Nullah Tavern had to shut: it wasn’t making enough money, owner says
- Fini’s, ‘a brand that everyone loves’ according to owner Todd Darling, will replace Stone Nullah Tavern in Wan Chai
- ‘We need to be maximising resources,’ he says of the switch, and laments customers didn’t understand tavern’s New American cuisine concept
The announcement in December that Stone Nullah Tavern would close was a shock to regulars and fans of the Hong Kong restaurant known for its cheap drinks, hearty burgers and s’mores served in a skillet. But for the Wan Chai establishment’s owner, Todd Darling of Red Sauce Hospitality, it’s strictly a business decision.
“Stone Nullah Tavern wasn’t as productive [as it could be]. We’re not a big company and we need to be maximising resources,” he said.
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“We made money off drinks here, but I didn’t think that seven years ago when we opened. We started with a small plates menu serving New American cuisine, but people didn’t understand what it was, so we then switched to a traditional American menu. Then it became a drinks place.”
Darling says this arrangement didn’t meet his expectations.
“I would rather maximise the opportunities we have with the people we have and locations we have. In Hong Kong the cost of taking on a lease is so great that it’s safer to take an existing location and have a brand that everyone loves.”
He believes Linguini Fini, known for its nose-to-tail approach to Italian-American cooking and now called simply Fini’s, is a better fit for the location. “To do American food right, it’s expensive. So do we sacrifice the quality of the food? The answer is no.”
The restaurant and bar are being renovated but some elements of Stone Nullah Tavern will remain, such as the deer’s head on the wall and the hardwood floor; menu items such as maple barbecue glazed ribs and mac and cheese will also stay, and fried chicken will be available periodically, Darling says.
A gas-powered pizza oven at the bar will bake and caramelise pizzas to give them what Darling hopes will be a more rustic flavour. He hints prices will be slightly lower in Stone Nullah Lane than at the restaurant’s SoHo, Central, branch, and says the menu in Wan Chai will be shorter and some of the pizzas exclusive.
