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Lucky Cheng's Will Close Saturday Night (Updated)
By
Nell Casey
Published Jun 27, 2014
Modified Jun 29, 2014
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By
Nell Casey
Published Jun 27, 2014
Modified Jun 29, 2014
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UPDATE: As of Sunday June 29th, Lucky Cheng's is still open!
Self-proclaimed "Drag Capital Of The World" Lucky Cheng's will lip sync its last aria tomorrow night. Jeremiah's Vanishing New York gets news that the legendary club and restaurant will close after service tomorrow evening, coincidentally timed with Pride weekend. A longtime employee confirmed the sad news to us on the phone this afternoon, though had a more philosophical mentality about everything. "It's part of life, everything has a beginning and an end."
An anonymous employee told Moss that "Ridiculously high rent + decline in business = demise," though the employee this afternoon couldn't confirm. The club's owner Hayne Suthon also recently passed away, which may also have prompted the closure. We've reached out to management at Lucky Cheng's and we'll update if we hear back.
The club opened 20 years ago in the East Village on First Avenue near Houston Street and was "the first restaurant in the world to feature drag-queen servers, bartenders, and performers," according to its website. A changing demographic and some dragging business saw the club moving to Times Square in 2012 to a larger space geared towards the tourist set. A huge Pride weekend dance party is scheduled for tomorrow night, a fitting swan song for the iconic old gal.
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lucky chengs
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Nell Casey
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