Linda Falkenstein
Hüsnü's will close its 547 State St. location on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Hüsnü's, 547 State St., will serve its last meal at that location on Saturday, Oct. 26, as the landlord has asked tenants to vacate by the end of the month.
Hüsnü's, a Turkish and Mediterranean restaurant, has been an institution on lower State Street for over three decades. Owners first learned of plans to tear down the University Inn property, where the restaurant is a street-level occupant, to build a large apartment complex, late last April. Even as the city approved the plans for "The Hub at Madison," uncertainty over when current tenants would be asked to vacate their spaces remained. Hüsnü's, like others in the University Inn property, was on a month-to-month lease.
This week, a letter was sent to tenants by the landlord, the Mullins Group, that stated everyone had to be out of the space by the end of October. Calls to the Mullins Group for comment have not been returned.
Also affected were Roast Public House, Campus Candy, a Jimmy John's, Kabul, and Buraka. So far, Roast, Kabul and Jimmy John's have relocated or have plans to relocate; Campus Candy has closed, and Buraka has plans to close Oct. 31.
Owner Hüsnü Atis wants to "thank all of his customers for 34 years of support," says his daughter, Resmine Atis. "He appreciates all the interest in our future plans and the wonderful wishes from everyone."
Hüsnü will continue to look for a new location for the restaurant and will let everyone know "plans to relaunch, as soon as he's able," says Resmine.