Over the weekend, Gilbert Gonzalez announced that he was going to close down Osteria del Teatro on Sunday, October 20, owing to financial hardships he faced with the business, a Miami Beach staple since its founding in 1987. Almost immediately after announcing the closure to his longtime customers via a mass email and through an Instagram post, he was shocked by the overwhelming response he received.
"After we sent out the email, I had an overwhelming response of emails from customers and people that are like our family because they've been coming to our restaurant for 39 years, for generations, including their kids," explains Gonzalez. "We got so busy on Saturday and Sunday — thank goodness. Everybody wanted to say goodbye and pay their respects."
Gonzalez tells New Times it was financially impossible to continue to run the restaurant because of inflation in today's economy. The only way to survive would be to increase the price of each dish, or worse — take paycheck cuts — which is something he'd never do.
"Over the weekend, I had several customers reaching out and wanting to know what happened, and I told them that the economy has been very tough and the summer was rough," he explains. "Unfortunately, I got myself into some predatory loans with a high interest rate. It got to the point where it was either pay my employees or pay them. I thought if I could stretch it out until the season, but they weren't willing to work it out."
Gonzalez just wanted to pay his employees and pay his purveyors who have worked with him since 2001 — this is what was first and foremost important to him. If he was going to close his beloved restaurant, he wanted to do so on the right foot by paying due respect to the people who made the restaurant a success. "I didn't want to just close the doors and not pay anybody. I wanted to pay my employees and pay my purveyors, small business people who have supported me over the years," he says earnestly.
Little did he know then that it wasn't the end.
Photos of Gilbert Gonzalez posing outside of the original Osteria del Teatro in South Beach with musicians who have visited the restaurant, including Billy Joel, Jamie Foxx, and Emilio Estefan.
Osteria del Teatro photos
A Miracle on 79th Street
Just as he was in the process of accepting the cherished restaurant's fate, a miracle occurred.One of his longtime customers walked in to have dinner at Osteria del Teatro on Saturday, October 19, after hearing the news, and he just so happens to be a commercial small-business bankruptcy attorney.
"Gilbert, I know you know me, but you don't know what I do," the attorney said to Gonzalez. The rest is history.
The attorney will help Gonzalez file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, meaning he will be able to reorganize his company, stay in business, and not close. Then, as if the news couldn't get any better, several other customers reached out to Gonzalez over email and in person to say that they had the financial means to invest in the restaurant and become a partner in the business alongside Gonzalez, if need be.
"I feel like I got a stay of execution, a reprieve, and I can keep my business open after all of these years," he says in disbelief. "I felt bad because we were all crying when I told my staff we were closing."
Owner Gilbert Gonzalez (middle) poses with his family at the opening of Osteria del Teatro's newest location in North Bay Village.
Photo by City of North Bay Village
An Emotional Announcement to His Staff Full of Happy Tears
"At the restaurant, we were crying. When the attorney said this to me at the restaurant, I still wasn't sure it was really going to happen — I didn't want to count my chickens before they hatch," says Gonzalez. "Then, the next day, on Sunday afternoon, he was back at the restaurant. He goes, 'I can help you.' Then, today, he goes, 'Man, I give you the green light — don't worry.'" Once Gonzalez was certain he could stay open, he couldn't wait to share the news with his staff.
"Last night [Sunday night], I did a funny video copying the scene from the movie Wolf of Wall Street. I got them all together and filmed them saying, 'We're not fucking leaving!' I was going to post that, but maybe that would be too much,'" he says with a laugh.
Instead, he shared a heartfelt Reel on Instagram, letting his customers know that they would remain open. Customers immediately took the comments, saying, "You have been my favorite restaurant and a Miami institution!" and "This is amazing news! We love Osteria! We live in Pennsylvania and wish we could support more, but we always stop when we're in town, and we tell everyone visiting Miami they need to go there! I hope it works out for you guys! A truly wonderful restaurant!"
Longtime customers weren't the only ones cheering with joy — so were Gonzalez's longtime employees.
"Everybody was crying and so happy. My staff even volunteered to work for free just to help us get through this week," he says. "We're so grateful. What's crazy is that this all happened just because I shared my hardship with my longtime customers. People had told me to just quietly close, but I knew in my heart everyone deserved to know, and look what happened."
Osteria del Teatro. 1666 79th Street Cswy., Ste. 102, North Bay Village; 305-538-7850; osteriadelteatro.miami. Parking is free and plentiful.
