Theatre District Restaurateur Joe Allen Passes Away at 87

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that famed NYC restaurateur, Joe Allen, owner of the beloved theatre district restaurant that bears his name, passed away yesterday, according to the New York Times. He was 87 years old.

The restaurant (currently closed due to the ongoing health crisis) was opened by Allen in 1965.

Joe Allen Restaurant has been nourishing theatergoers and theater professionals for 57 years on W. 46th Street. Starting out, they catered mostly to "chorus kids with bad knees" but quickly became the place where the worlds of theater stars and theatergoers converge. In other words, Joe Allen has defined (and then redefined, and then redefined again) "the theatrical hangout."

Perhaps the restaurant's biggest gift to the theatrical community was turning the terrible indignity of being associated with a failed show into an honor (albeit a dubious one) with its famous "flop wall."

Allen also owned Orso, neighbor to the theatre district hotspot and Bar Centrale, nestled above.