Another Restaurant Folds in the Square

Harvard students and other Cantabrigians were saddened and considerably surprised this week to find out that the Stockpot, a wellliked restaurant in the Galleria mall, had suddenly closed Tuesday afternoon.

"I'm really shocked it closed," Philip H. Chang '94 said. "The owners were really nice to Harvard students."

Customers who returned today found a virtually empty room, bereft of tables and chairs. A salad bar and two blackboards with menus were the only indications that the locale had once been a restaurant which served a variety of soups, salads and sandwiches.

"Oh, what a shame," said a customer who happened by only to find the restaurant empty and its security gate half closed.

The Stockpot, which first opened 18 years ago, had been owned since 1979 by Burt and Marsha Gilman and their daughter, Lisa Gilman.

Signs of trouble first appeared last August, when the Gilmans began negotiating their lease with Honneman Management, the company that handles leases in the Galleria. At the time themanagement company asked an increase in monthlyrent payments, Lisa Gilman said yesterday.

But she said her family felt that the askedincrease in rent was unacceptable.

"They weren't fair to us, being a 15-yeartenant," Gilman said.

Although the lease officially expired a monthand a half ago, the Stockpot was able to remain inbusiness until Tuesday ago, when it became clearthat there was not going to be an agreement, shesaid.

But the terms of the lease were not the onlycause for shutting down, according to Gilman. Shesaid other factors leading to the closing includeda lackluster economy, increased competition andchanges in the Galleria's other tenants.

The building had emptied out in the pastseveral years, Gilman said. Although it filledagain with new stores recently, the new storeshave not attracted a large flow of customers.

"Up to four years ago we had lines going up thestairs," she said. "We got a raw deal."

Gilman said she plans to begin lookingimmediately for a new location.

She expressed her gratitude to the restaurant'sregular customers for "keeping me in business for15 years."

"I'd like to look for a place where I couldwelcome everyone back," Gilman said

But she said her family felt that the askedincrease in rent was unacceptable.

"They weren't fair to us, being a 15-yeartenant," Gilman said.

Although the lease officially expired a monthand a half ago, the Stockpot was able to remain inbusiness until Tuesday ago, when it became clearthat there was not going to be an agreement, shesaid.

But the terms of the lease were not the onlycause for shutting down, according to Gilman. Shesaid other factors leading to the closing includeda lackluster economy, increased competition andchanges in the Galleria's other tenants.

The building had emptied out in the pastseveral years, Gilman said. Although it filledagain with new stores recently, the new storeshave not attracted a large flow of customers.

"Up to four years ago we had lines going up thestairs," she said. "We got a raw deal."

Gilman said she plans to begin lookingimmediately for a new location.

She expressed her gratitude to the restaurant'sregular customers for "keeping me in business for15 years."

"I'd like to look for a place where I couldwelcome everyone back," Gilman said