Oct. 13, 2016 By Christian Murray
A Hunters Point bar/restaurant is likely to close after being in business nearly four years.
RePubLIC50, located at 10-09 50th Avenue, shut its doors late last month and has not reopened.
Owner Juan Cruz said that he has been working on some plumbing issues since the closure, although he said he was unsure whether the venue would ever reopen.
The establishment was originally launched at the beginning of 2013 and was called “Open Door,” featuring 16 craft beers on tap and offering small-plate American dishes.
Six months ago, there were significant staff changes and the venue was rebranded “Re Pub LIC50.” Management put a greater emphasis on the menu and began offering items such as tuna rolls, lobster tail sandwiches and high-end burgers. They also focused on promoting its cocktails.
Today, the venue sits empty, with much of the furniture gone.
Previous iteration ‘Open Door’
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34 Comments
Lots of places to watch football methinks. You can usually catch a game at the Corner Bistro too. Actually, there aren’t enough places without a TV haha.
Have you been to Alewife? Nice spot, good beer, good food and football. Bierocracy is OK as well.
Can we turn this into a nice sports bar with the Sunday ticket? There is literally nowhere to watch football besides Gantry which can’t accommodate a lot of people.
a friend of mine displayed her artwork there and when it was time to take it down it was snowing so we asked to wait a day till the street was plowed, they took them down overnight, the next artist didn’t show up and a few pieces were STOLEN…….. good riddens
Maybe one of the Shi brothers stole the art again… haha.
Pio Pio !!
Yeah I second the need for a quick dinner pick up place. Somewhere that does a good rotisserie chicken like Costco but without having to drive to Costco! Plus sides like cornbread, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, etc. A non-corporate, independently owned, slightly more upscale Boston Market if you will….
The Inkan has solid rotisserie chicken
I know exactly what LIC needs. You know the pre-made food counter at Food Cellar? A really good version of that would be great. A place where busy families can go get meals with sides, catered to the different family members. A family meal where you can get french fries and a hot dog for one kid, chicken fingers and broccoli for another and mom and dad can get a good hearty beef, chicken or pork dish with some sides. Throw in some good deserts and a modest price. Put it near the subway so that it is convenient for the masses leaving in the morning and returning in the evening. If I could pick up a home cooked meal quickly and bring it home I would go there often. Forget the fancy stuff. I also think a Sophies would do well here.
What is it with parents today feeding their kids a bunch of sh.t? Why can’t kids eat the same dinners as their parents? All this catering to their every goddamn whim and multiple variations of dinners is complete b.llshit. If you can’t raise your kids properly, find something else to do.
Wow so judgy lol
What is with internet trolls these days? So angry and judgmental of people they don’t even know based upon a single, short post. All these digital soapboxes that give them a platform to spew their rage and misdirected insults. Like my son when he puts on his Captain America Halloween costume. He really thinks he is a superhero. So cute. Fake muscles.
We almost went in there a couple times for breakfast when we could not get into Cafe Henri but never stayed. Looked at the menu, nobody inside, walked out. As an advertising guy, I don’t think they understand branding or marketing. Both their names and logos were pretty bad. The latest name could have worked if not for that terrible type face and the caps in LIC made it read as Re-Pub Long Island City, rather than Republic as I assume they were going for. The Open Door logo looked too corporate. Neither was warm and inviting.
Hire professionals to represent your business. Name, logo, and ALL graphics. Spell things right on the damn menus. Stop hiring your cousin to choose your fonts because she edited her high school paper, and you don’t have to pay her. Have some class; this is NYC, where you spend money to get value. Why I never set foot in there, and will never patronize the new place on the corner with the damn mustache either, but, and it’s a big but…At least we don’t have to look at the Station’s stupid mural anymore.
“this is NYC, where you spend money to get value.” What?! hahaha! If you consider professional graphic design A requirement for good culinary value, you have no idea what ‘value’ is.
It is not just good graphic design, it is branding and marketing, and yes, it is very important. There are always some exceptions to the rule, but those are rare.
Thanks mc, for defending me to the angry drunk
If you actually walked into “the new place on the corner with the damn mustache” a/k/a Jackson’s, you would realize that in their limited time open so far they have pretty good food and drinks, and that one look at the owner (very nice guy) would make you understand the mustache!
Walked by curious, but the first thing I saw was the dingy faux-dive look. Instantly tells me they’re going to over-charge me on their selection of “craft” beers and sub-quality food. When is this trend going to finally die?
Restaurant business is tough.
Neighborhood obviously voted with their dollars going elsewhere.
(and the re-pub LIC awning looks and sounds like it should be a thrift store)
You can’t support a menu with “tuna rolls and lobster tail sandwiches” just by rebranding. These are the kind of ingredients that need to be fresh and that requires a steady stream of diners creating a consistent turnover of their pantry and fridge. It was thoroughly ambitious. Why not make easy to prepare and longer shelf life bar food? Establish that you can do a simple menu well then add to it. Seems like common biz sense.
Frustrating to see them fail at this 2x.
This place was always great for a quick (cheap) cocktail. On many occasions my girlfriend and I would pop in for some $5 mojitos. I can only hope its replaced with something unique to the neighborhood
Moderator did you not get my post or did you delete it? Let me try this again…
I don’t think we need another place that serves craft beer and wings I really think we have enough. The places that do serve wings need to improve their wang game tho, I can’t say any of the bars have great wings. What I do think would be good in that spot is a place like Yaso Tangbao in Brooklyn. Shanghainese street food. (Yelp it if you don’t already know). I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like soup dumplings, wine chicken and noodles! I hope this message somehow reaches someone who can or will open something like that in LIC… please?
Moderator..lol, have you seen the posts here? I’d like to see what ‘crosses the line’ as nothing seems to get censored on LIC Post.
Can we get a decent bakery (with bread, bagels, rolls) please?
Too much overhead. Unless it was something like Martha’s in Astoria
I disagree with another place for cheap beer and wings. We already have those places (but the wings suck at the existing places). You guys ever hear of Yaso Tangbao in brooklyn (if not Yelp it). Chinese soup dumplings, noodles buns. It’s like a fast food shanghainese street food joint. I think that place would do so well in place of Republic.
Where?
Who wants to bet one of the Shi brothers opens a Egyptian restaurant here?
I’m working on bringing a new tenant before those tools manage to get into the space
Actually you know what would probably work, a cheap dive catering to ‘frat boy’ types like those places on the upper west side. Cheap beer with tons of specials, cheap wings, and a big screen tv. Yes it would be loud and a potential nuisance but from a business point it would (should) make money.
It was good when it was Open Door. Didn’t care for it as much with the new branding. but always sad to see a local spot close!
Sorry but the food wasn’t good here either! And not that it matters but it matters, the previous name was retarded Opendoor …….and the revamp with the new name which was fine but that font really looked like it belonged in Astoria. I feel bad that they failed but only the strong will survive. Best of luck to their next venture, but now I’m hoping something good to open in place of them!
Really, retarded? What is this 1985 and you’re 8 years old?