"More than two years after the legendary Central Park restaurant Tavern on the Green closed and its once-luxurious appointments were auctioned off, the parks department has selected a new, Philadelphia-based operator that plans to reopen the space as a smaller, more rustic restaurant in the fall of 2013.

Although the footprint of the restaurant will be smaller than the final incarnation of the old Tavern on the Green, there will, nonetheless, be room for 300 guests inside, an additional 200 to 300 outside and a takeout window selling smoothies, sandwiches and picnic fare."

“I think the city really wanted to redefine what the Tavern is going to be,” said Drew Nieporent, who was the director of Tavern on the Green from 1978 to 1982, when it was a prime destination for parties and celebrities. “They don’t want private events. They don’t want music. They want something that will blend in, not stand out.”

A parks department spokesman, Philip Abramson, confirmed that the city’s goal for the site was to provide an informal, accessible restaurant that would harmonize with its bucolic setting."

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/nyregion/new-operator-is-chosen-for-tavern-on-the-green.html

Before Warner Leroy it was a great place for private parties mainly opening night cast parties. It was a little dumpy then, but that wasn't out of the ordinary at that time. With Warner Leroy, it exploded into a huge draw at first and then became relegated to that "T" word; Touristy. I think this new venue might work as it will be for those neighborhood residents using the park as opposed to the throngs that used to flock there from who knows where.