Condé Nast isn’t just its cafeterias, of course. But they’ve been a symbol of what the publishing giant is—its luxury image, its perks, its exclusivity. And now one is closing.
The Condé Nasties who reside at the company’s 4 Times Square flagship can rest easy. But it looks like the stylistas of 750 Third Avenue—or what’s left of them—will have to say goodbye to Sushi Tuesdays. The building’s tenants got an e-mail missive recently saying that the eatery will be shuttered. It will close this Friday.
A Condé Nast spokeswoman said the decision was made to close the cafeteria after an analysis showed it was underused.
Condé Nast put in the cafeteria in 2006 so the employees there wouldn’t feel bad about not working at the more prestigious Times Square headquarters, with its renowned Frank Gehry-designed cafeteria. The dining room at 750 Third lacked the undulating walls and high ceilings of its Times Square counterpart but boasted an incandescent glass wall and lighting that changed colors during the day. (S.I. Newhouse, chairman of Condé parent Advance Publications, told an employee he preferred it over the bustle of the 4 Times Square cafeteria.)
But as it’s cut expenses and shrunk in size, Condé Nast has moved several magazines out of the space it leases at 750 Third, including Golf Digest and Brides, leaving just Fairchild, its B2B fashion unit. On top of that, Condé has consolidated its B2B business, closing men’s fashion trade DNR and selling its nonfashion trades. As a result, the number of people the cafeteria is designed to serve has declined.
The cafeteria had also lost some of Condé’s trademark exclusivity since it opened; all tenants of the building now have access to the dining room, including employees of The Economist and Reader’s Digest Association.
