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Get ready for a tiny Tavern on the Green.
Nearly two years to the day after the landmark Central Park eatery served its final meal, the city yesterday began seeking an operator for a scaled-down restaurant, bar and cafe to replace the dormant banquet and party hub.
The plans are the latest attempt by the city to leave behind several turbulent years of labor disputes and false hopes of a rebirth for Tavern on the Green.
The city’s bid documents call for a more casual and intimate space that will reduce the restaurant’s indoor footprint from 22,000 square feet to just over 10,000 square feet.
But the outdoor space — formerly confined largely to the glass-encased Crystal Room — is set to nearly quadruple with a 12,000-square-foot terrace.
The change marks both a recognition of the popularity of outdoor noshing and a purposeful shift from banquets and lavish events to a more “casual” neighborhood drinks-and-dinner joint.
City officials said renovations — including reconstruction of landmark-quality brick and cut-stone walls — would leave the 77-year-old building immaculate for its expected relaunch in late 2013.
“Tavern on the Green has long been one of the city’s most unique settings, and today marks a new chapter in its life,” said Parks and Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “Now is the right time to re-envision the historic space and give it a new look and a new use.”
The new bid prioritizes a number of elements from potential proprietors — including the size of the fee that would be passed on to the city, environment-friendly interior-design work and a good labor-relations history.
A plan for the operator of the Central Park Boathouse, Dean Poll, to reopen Tavern on the Green fell apart last year because he wasn’t able to reach a deal with the Hotel and Motel Trades Council union, which represents hundreds of the former restaurant’s workers.
“Respondents that can show experience with harmonious labor relations or a lack of negative labor issues will be preferred, as will respondents that can show a likelihood of harmonious labor relations in this concession,” the bid documents read.
At its height, Tavern on the Green raked in $38 million a year.
Its owners filed for bankruptcy in late 2009 after the city decided not to renew their license.
After several failed bids to revive the place — including a $20 million redevelopment offer from Donald Trump — the city let a handful of food trucks set up shop to keep the spot from going to the birds.
The trucks have been running on one-year licenses in anticipation of a longer-term solution.