Mission Chinese to Permanently Close Its Lower East Side Location

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the restaurant industry, and sadly, we have another major closure to report: Danny Bowien’s popular Mission Chinese is permanently shutting down its Lower East Side location.

Bowien announced the news on Instagram on Thursday, writing, “During this pandemic, restaurants have experienced challenges unlike any other industry. We have had to fight to save our businesses and jobs while making the case for our very existence. We all desperately want restaurants to open — to really open — but we cannot insist on this out of obligation, without regard to the health of our customers and our employees. The past few months have made it clear that we need to change what we do — as a business, as a citizen, as a nation.”

“We faced the difficult decision as a business to battle through adversity in hopes of outside support we know may not come, or to create a business model that forges a new path for survival on our terms,” he continued. “We at Mission are choosing the new path.”

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During this pandemic, restaurants have experienced challenges unlike any other industry. We have had to fight to save our businesses and jobs while making the case for our very existence. We all desperately want restaurants to open—to really open—but we cannot insist on this out of obligation, without regard to the health of our customers and our employees. The past few months have made it clear that we need to change what we do – as a business, as a citizen, as a nation. We faced the difficult decision as a business to battle through adversity in hopes of outside support we know may not come, or to create a business model that forges a new path for survival on our terms. We at Mission are choosing the new path. As part of this difficult decision, we will be closing Mission’s East Broadway location at the end of September. Our Brooklyn outpost will continue to operate and the same food you love will be offered by Mission, as our focus shifts to take out, pre-packaged meals and new models of distribution. We want to thank all of our employees, past and present, for the hard work and dedication they have put into creating the unforgettable experience that is Mission. Our current team has done an admiral job of operating during these unprecedented times. Mission Manhattan was envisioned as a place for celebratory meals and grand occasions. Though social gatherings of this magnitude can’t happen in our dining room right now, we hope you join us for take out in the next couple of weeks as we celebrate the future evolution of Mission and the end of this physical location. Your continued support means the world to us. Thank you. Danny Bowien and the team at Mission

A post shared by Mission NYC (@eatatmission) on Sep 17, 2020 at 9:31am PDT

While the East Broadway location will close at the end of this month, Mission’s Brooklyn location will remain open as it shifts its focus to “take out, pre-packaged meals and new models of distribution.”

“We hope you join us for take out in the next couple of weeks as we celebrate the future evolution of Mission and the end of this physical location,” Bowien wrote.