Chef John Hagerty has closed his vegan restaurant Green Kitchen (3182 W. 25th St.) in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood. He opened it just shy of a year ago.
Hagerty, who is a partner in Never Say Dive in Old Brooklyn, says that it wasn’t a lack of business that forced his hand; it was a lack of reliable staffing.
“I couldn’t rely on anyone,” he explains. “I was forced to close for days or even weeks at a time. I can’t be in two places at once. It was taking a toll on me and I just decided to get out. I just want to cook food and hang out with my friends at Dive.”
Hagerty says that vegan food fans haven’t seen the last of Green Kitchen. The chef promises to host pop-ups at Never Say Dive and other events around town. After all, he adds, Green Kitchen is what set so many great things in motion.
“It was never a poor business,” he says. “It built everything that I have now. We started off as that pop-up at Little Rose [Tavern in West Park] and made some money and made some good friends and opened up another bar.”
You can find Hagerty most nights at the “other bar” — Never Say Dive (4497 Broadview Rd.).
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This article appears in Oct 9-22, 2024.

