Closed restaurant says COVID partly to blame

Duo Bistro laid out the reasons is decided to shut down in a post on its Facebook page.

KINGSTON, N.Y. » The COVID-19 pandemic played a role in the decision to close Duo Bistro, the restaurant says on its Facebook page.

“We made the call to not reopen this past week, and it wasn’t an easy one,” the posting, signed Duo Crew, states. “The COVID pandemic puts too much strain on an already fragile microeconomy that is the restaurant world, and for those of us who don’t have deep pockets and do depend on the business for our livelihood, it was an especially hard blow.”

The restaurant, at the corner of Wall and John streets, and Duo Pantry, a small food store adjacent to the restaurant on the Wall Street side, both have shut down. A real estate sign in the restaurant window advertises the space as “Available,” and SVN Deegan-Collins Commercial Realty said Monday that it is seeking a tenant for the space.

Duo’s Facebook post says that “moving forward did not seem viable at this point in time, and it became clear that it was time to throw in the proverbial towel and concentrate our remaining efforts on our friends, families and loved ones.”

Duo Bistro opened in April 2012 and expanded in early 2016.

Originally in a space facing John Street, Duo punched through a wall and expanded into the former Bop to Tottom storefront at the corner of Wall and John streets, increasing the seating capacity from about

28 to 65. Bop to Tottom, a boutique, moved to the corner of Wall and North Front streets, a block away.

“We would like to thank all of you, every one of you, who has supported us,” the Duo posting says. “... We have made many deep connections with many of our customers, some choosing to dine with us many times a week and then grow to become more than customers. They became friends and part of our family.”

Restaurants across the country have been hard hit by the loss of customer traffic due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting restrictions on businesses, and many have closed as a result.

According to the SNV Deegan-Collins website, the Duo Bistro space is 2,569 square feet in a structure known as the Clermont Cordts building.

The entire building measures about 25,000 square feet, most of which is occupied.