Homeless: The Studio Public House is losing its lease

The Studio Public House, a popular British restaurant in the Grand Central District, is being forced to close this summer. 

Owner Mike Crippin said that his landlord – the building’s owner – is planning on selling the 2950 Central Ave. building for redevelopment. 

Crippin contacted his landlord late last year to renew his lease for the next five years. 

“In late January, he sent me back all the numbers by email. I agreed. I liked him. I verbally agreed because we communicate by text and email and have a good working relationship [and told] him that was fine.” 

He knew two months ago that the building probably wouldn’t remain in his care. An official written notice was sent June 20, informing Crippin that the lease would definitely not be extended.

While it is disappointing, Crippin insists he is not bitter about having to shut The Studio Public House’s doors. 

“If [the landlord] chooses to sell the property, he doesn’t have to let me renew, and he kind of exercised that right,” Crippin explained. “There’s no recourse for me.”

The landlord did not break any legal contracts. 

Furthermore, Crippin understands that the local market is tough. 

“The prices are super inflated right now. It is what it is. I’m pretty philosophical about it. I’ll try to find another spot for The Studio if it’s affordable.” 

After first learning two months ago that the building was going on the market, Crippin considered purchasing it himself, but realized it would not make sense financially. 

“We did our damnedest once we found out that the landlord may not want to make things happen,” he added. “We tried everything, so we feel that we gave it our best shot.” 

Crippin, who served as the executive chef of St. Petersburg favorite The Moon Under Water for nearly 20 years, opened The Studio Public House in 2021. 

Now he’s working on bringing the British-themed The Moon Under Water back. This will occupy a lot of his time moving forward, he said. 

Planning for the new location has further demonstrated to him how challenging the market is. 

“We’re finding out by just looking at options for the new The Moon Under Water how hard it is to find affordable [space],” he explained. 

One of Crippin’s biggest concerns about closing The Studio Public House is his staff. 

“We’re going to go as deep into the summer as we can – to recoup some of our money and to give mainly our staff a chance to make the adjustment – and then we’ll go from there.” 

Crippin plans to keep The Studio Public House open until at least the end of July and may extend it to August. “Our lease is up in the fall … well, late summer basically,” he said. “Obviously I got to give the building back in clean condition.” 

His priority is to “finish business in a timely manner” while keeping the restaurant open for as long as possible. 

As for the possible future of The Studio Public House, Crippin is looking at additional locations, and is open to working with a partner or selling the business. 

Crippin and his wife and business partner Ali announced the news on the pub’s Facebook account Monday.

“We did our damnedest once we found out that the landlord may not want to make things happen,” Crippin said. “We tried everything, so we feel that we gave it our best shot.”