Washington Platform is closing. Owner says it was 'long thought-out' decision

A downtown Cincinnati restaurant with a storied history will be closing its doors at the end of the year.

Washington Platform Saloon and Restaurant, which has existed in various forms in its Elm Street building for more than 150 years, will close Dec. 31, chef and owner Jon Diebold said Monday night in a Facebook post.

Diebold said the closing is not a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, labor shortage or other reasons, rather, it was a long thought-out decision.

"We have weathered all those events, just as we have weathered other downturns in our three decades of business," the post reads.

As of Monday, the restaurant known for serving comfort food with an emphasis on seafood and Southern flair was still taking reservations for the Christmas traditional celebration "Feast of the Seven Fishes" Dec. 23 and 24.

Those events will still take place, Diebold said.

The restaurant in the three-story brick building at 100 Elm St. was first opened as the Johan Armleder Wine & Lager Beer Saloon. Then, the name was changed to Washington Platform in 1875, and it was converted during Prohibition in 1919 to a produce store and other businesses, according to the restaurant.

Eventually, it was brought back in 1986 and renamed Washington Platform Saloon and Restaurant.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Washington Platform Saloon and Restaurant is closing