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NEW YORK--Three months after the untimely death of Gilbert Le Coze--the legendary founding partner, with sister Maguy, of Le Bernardin here, and Brasserie Le Coze in Atlanta and Miami--all three family-owned restaurants are operating at full stride, according to Le Coze's management.
Following a two-week drop in traffic at the midtown Manhattan flagship Le Bernardin, which followed Le Coze's fatal heart attack on July 28, business now is running 12 percent to 15 percent ahead of last year's, said longtime general manager Richard Hollocou.
"Yes, there was a little lull, but then it was back to business," Hollocou explained. "We're now seeing the regulars on a frequent basis."
Furthermore, Hollocou said, the Brasserie Le Coze restaurants also are meeting projections--partly, he estimated, because of favorable reviews in recent issues of Atlanta magazine and South Florida magazine.
A cloud of speculation arose when Maguy Le Coze--who traveled between Miami and Atlanta, overseeing the Brasserie project since its 1991 debut--returned to New York following her brother's death.
Regarded by many...