NewsLocal NewsHamilton CountyCincinnati

Actions

Sky Galley restaurant at Lunken Airport to close permanently

WCPO_Sky_Galley.jpg
Posted at 2:33 PM, Sep 18, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-18 23:35:29-04

The Sky Galley restaurant at Lunken Airport will close for good on Sunday despite repeated attempts to save it from that very fate, a restaurant spokesperson confirmed Friday afternoon.

"I can confirm our last day will be Sunday," the spokesperson wrote in response to a Facebook message. "A statement will be provided soon."

The restaurant, a longtime fixture on Cincinnati's East Side, bought itself almost exactly a year after a Sept. 16, 2019 health department inspection found several food safety risks and the city of Cincinnati moved to cancel its lease. Another inspection in August found violations like flies, a dirty microwave and floors the inspector called "not smooth and cleanable."

City Manager Patrick Duhaney announced in December that the city would cancel Sky Galley's lease.

In January 2020, however, he announced a change of plans: The city would renew the lease for five years and pay up to $100,000 to help Sky Galley owner Kirby Brakvill bring it up to health department standards. The payment would assist Brakvill in replacing floors, doors and broken equipment, installing a new hand-washing sink and implementing better hygiene practices.

Sky Galley's spokesperson did not explain the reason for the restaurant's closure.