New Eatery On Its Way To Former Glady's Space In Crown Heights

CROWN HEIGHTS, BROOKLYN — A Franklin Avenue storefront that has stood empty for more than a year will soon be filled with a new restaurant, Patch has learned.

The new eatery, called Elliott, is preparing to open in the space once home to Glady's Rum Bar, which closed amid the coronavirus crisis last summer after seven years in the neighborhood, according to a presentation with Community Board 8 this week.

The restaurant will bring American cuisine to the storefront, which sits on the corner of Franklin Avenue and Lincoln Place. Its liquor license application won the support of the board's SLA and Sidewalk Cafe Review Committee on Monday.

"That corner’s been dark for a while — the lights have been off," Elliott co-owner Scott Dansby told the committee. "Having us come in there is going to be really great."

Dansby, who has worked at the Mermaid Inn and other restaurants, told the committee he hopes to revitalize the storefront, which neighbors told him had trash and noise problems under the previous owner.

The new restaurant will include seven tables and a nine-seat bar inside, along with outdoor seating along the Franklin Avenue sidewalk and roadway through the city's Open Restaurants program, according to the presentation.

Dansby told the committee he elected not to include outdoor seating on the Lincoln Place side to help with congestion at the corner.

Elliott will end service at its outdoor tables — and its indoor restaurant, except when there are events — by 10 p.m. each night to keep noise down, he said. It will be open seven days a week starting at 11 a.m. weekends and 4 p.m. weekdays.

The restaurant also plans to offer its space to up-and-coming local chefs for pop-up events each month and hopes to host events for the local church, Dansby told the committee.

"We really are willing to engage with the community to make our space there’s…and be a good neighbor," he said.

The restaurant's menu will feature American cuisine that will change throughout the seasons, according to Dansby.

All but one of the 12 committee members voted in favor of the restaurant, which will face the full Community Board 8 in its general meeting next week. The liquor license will ultimately be decided by the State Liquor Authority.

Elliott was one of three restaurants that faced the committee this week.

Lowerline on Washington Place and Memphis Seoul on Lincoln Place both won the support of the committee to renew their liquor licenses.

Memphis Seoul's approval came with conditions that it stop using live music, use its outdoor space only for restaurant seating and work with the community to resolve concerns brought up at the meeting. Neighbors had complained that the restaurant had used its outdoor dining area to park its van and to host three live music events, which committee members said is not allowed.