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Manhattanjack, the Prytania Street coffee shop known for giant slices of decadent chocolate cake, comfortable seating, a cool atmosphere, and coffee, has closed its doors, at least for now. Whether this closure could end up permanent is still unclear.
As first noticed by Reddit and an anonymous tip to Eater, the restaurant’s Facebook page has been taken down. The phone number for the cafe has also been disconnected, and the website domain that the restaurant used is for sale.
Eater visited the coffee shop to find a sign reading “Closed Monday” taped to the door. A sandwich board style sign beyond the locked doors read: “Due to new city code, Manhattan Jack is closed but new exciting things are coming.” Normal opening hours are 7 days a week, 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. By Tuesday, the Times Picayune had reported that the sign was updated to, “Closed until further notice.”
Ann Maloney of the T-P was able to talk to co-owner Coleman Jernigan on Tuesday at the coffee shop, where she says he was “meeting with his landlord to go over plans to re-open.” He was not able to expound upon the changes to the restaurant or whether it would open under a new name. He says that he plans to reopen in 2-6 weeks with “some rebranding.”
An anonymous tip to Eater reported that the owners, Jernigan and Jack Petronella, had split. Petronella’s Altamura, where Jernigan also worked, closed in July.
