If Ta-boo is evicted, what would replace it? Another restaurant, building owners say

If a pending eviction suit succeeds in forcing Worth Avenue’s oldest restaurant to vacate its premises, plans call for another establishment to replace Ta-boo in a way that “restores” the decades-old dining location to its “former grandeur” while “reinventing it.”

According to the CEO of Worth Avenue jeweler Greenleaf & Crosby by Betteridge, which will be a key player if Ta-boo is evicted: “We are honored to be able to say we are in conversations with a few of the finest chefs in the world who love Palm Beach and are over the moon about this project.”

“Throughout its history, Ta-boo has played a pivotal role in the social fabric of Palm Beach,” Greenleaf’s Win Betteridge continued in a Thursday email to the Daily News.

“It is critical” that that kind of “legacy” continues, noted Betteridge, who holds a lease agreement linked to Taboo’s space. “We are only considering restaurant operators who specialize in creating an elegant atmosphere, but even more importantly, a comfortable one … We want our guests to really enjoy themselves.”

The owner of the building that houses Ta-boo and is behind the move to evict the decades-old dining establishment also wants to see “a refreshed dining experience” at 219 Worth Ave.  It would be “an exciting restaurant concept befitting its Worth Avenue address,” said Sissy DeMaria-Koehne, spokesperson for 219 Worth Avenue Holdings LLC.

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Since being served an eviction summons March 7, Ta-boo has remained open for business in its 5,100-square-foot space. The eviction complaint was filed by 219 Worth Avenue Holdings, which has since filed a motion for summary judgment, asserting Ta-boo’s lease expired a year ago and rent has not been paid since.

Ta-boo owner Franklyn de Marco and his attorneys have argued in court filings that the eviction is invalid and should be dismissed. Both parties told the Daily News on Wednesday that a May 24 court hearing is scheduled on the summary judgment motion, which is likely to determine Ta-boo’s fate.

Greenleaf & Crosby by Betteridge is involved in the future of Ta-boo’s space because it holds a lease for a portion of 219 Worth Ave.

In December 2021, it entered into a retail lease with 219 Worth Avenue Holdings for roughly 10,475 square feet, according to both parties. That includes Ta-boo’s space, but the terms of the lease dictate the restaurant berth doesn’t officially commence as part of Greenleaf’s lease until it’s vacant and “possession” can be turned over, 219 Worth Avenue Holdings has said.

If that happens, Greenleaf & Crosby by Betteridge will be the new tenant and can sublease the space — and that’s the plan.

“The lease provides that Greenleaf & Crosby has committed to bringing a restaurant into the former Ta-boo premises,” DeMaria-Koehne told the Daily News. “We (are) confident that it will be bringing a dining experience to Worth Avenue worthy of its address.”

De Marco, who has owned Ta-boo since 1990, said “it could take two years” to put a new restaurant into the space his restaurant occupies.  During the time it would take to seek and obtain required town approvals and design and complete renovations, Worth Avenue could be minus a restaurant, he said.

According to the town’s zoning code, restaurants in the Worth Avenue commercial district are special-exception uses; therefore, they require a site-plan review and approval by the Town Council. Any business in the district that exceeds 4,000 square feet, as Ta-boo does — including permitted-use businesses, such as apparel boutiques and art galleries — are subject to a site-plan review as well.

Colorado real estate investor Mark Hunt bought the building that houses Ta-boo for close to $24 million in April 2021. Using the name 219 Worth Avenue Holdings for the purchase, Hunt bought the property from a limited-liability company associated with the late Burt Handesman, who was Ta-boo’s former landlord.

Taboo, considered an iconic Palm Beach restaurant and watering hole, debuted in December 1941.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: 'Exciting restaurant concept' would replace Ta-boo if eviction succeeds, building owner says