Rocco Dispirito and Main Street Restaurant Partners Announce Closing Of Union Pacific

Rocco Dispirito and Main Street Restaurant Announce Closing Of Union Pacific BLT will replace Union Pacific in the spring with Chef Laurent Tourondel and Main Street Restaurant Partners joining forces (Tuesday, September 28th, 2004, New York, NY) - After seven successful years, the critically acclaimed Union Pacific will close its doors on Christmas Eve, December 24th, 2004, it was announced today by Rocco DiSpirito and Steve Scher of MSRP.

Partner Rocco DiSpirito plans to pursue new opportunities outside the restaurant world. Following renovations, Chef Laurent Tourondel and his partners, will re-open 111 East 22nd Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues) in the Spring of 2005 as an outpost of the highly successful BLT Steak in a joint venture with MSRP. "I found my culinary soul at Union Pacific and my collaboration with MSRP has been a great experience for me," says DiSpirito. "I have made a decision to take a break from the day-to-day operations of a restaurant to focus on other opportunities apart from the restaurant world. Chef Laurent Tourondel is an excellent chef and I wish him much success."

"We had a great run with Union Pacific, and now we're ready to move on. We're ecstatic about joining forces with Laurent Tourondel and the BLT group, and we're especially thrilled to bring Chef Tourondel's delicious cooking to the downtown area," says Steven Scher of MSRP. "We believe that the concept of a modern steakhouse serving simple but exquisitely prepared meats and side dishes reflects the way people want to eat now, a concept Tourondel has successfully embraced."

When asked about this brand expansion and move downtown, Chef Tourondel responded, "We're ready to grow, and have found a great partnership in Main Street Restaurant Partners. It's a win for us both, and for our customers in the downtown area." Tourondel will begin a limited engagement at Union Pacific October 7th through December 24th. During this three month period, the restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner daily (closed Sunday), and will also continue to be available for holiday celebrations, private, corporate and other special events throughout the remainder of the year.