
Owner Arlene Giordano worries that some of her customers may have forgotten about it too. “A lot of people say, ‘Oh yeah, we used to go there twenty years ago,’” she said.
Now, Giordano said she needs those customers’ help to keep the 42-year-old French restaurant afloat. She recently launched an ambitious crowdfunding campaign to raise $60,000, which she said will allow her to get caught up with bills and to pay for a handful of long-overdue upgrades to the space.
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“I know a lot of people have written books here,” she said.
But business has been tough for the past few years, with the brunt of the recession coinciding with the death of Giordano’s husband, Thomas Cooper, who had handled most of the physical maintenance of the restaurant.
In addition to paying her bills, Giordano said she plans to use part of the crowdfunded money to install lights outside, which she hopes will help make it more obvious that the restaurant is open for dinner. She also wants to replace some outdated kitchen equipment, and to make the back room — where the restaurant hosts live music on Wednesday nights — wheelchair accessible.
Le Bateau Ivre’s Indiegogo campaign, which has raised a little more than $4,000 as of this posting, runs until November 13.