Gates Restaurant's Gates to Close Sunday, then Reopen Later

Gates Restaurant, located between Main Street and Forest Street (with entrances on both), will close on Sunday now that it’s been sold to new owners, say Jeb Swift and Bill Auer, the restaurateurs who have owned the 36-year-old New Canaan fixture.

With changes to its interior and its menu, the new owner, a local business, may reopen in August or September, Auer said, according to the New Canaan Advertiser.

An unnamed person familiar with the planning said the new version of the restaurant may have an “open kitchen,” be family-friendly but with an active bar and offer “classic American fare,” the Advertiser reported.

“We are pleased to announce the sale of Gates Restaurant to a privately held restaurant group based in New Canaan,” said a letter from Swift and Auer published by New Canaan News. “We feel good about passing on such an important part of our lives to a locally based group who understands and really cares about the role Gates plays in the community.”

The New Canaanite reported that the owners told their staff of the sale on Monday and the news website noted that the restaurant occupies a storefront which had temporarily housed the New Canaan Book Shop and previously had been the office of famed modern architect Victor Christ-Janer.

Image from Gates Restaurant Facebook account