Two restaurants in North Park owned by the same group are closing by mid-July.
Hubcap and The Linkery, both located on 30th Street, will close within the month, owner Jay Porter wrote on his blog Monday.
“Simply put, it’s time for us to move on, and let new operators bring their unique gifts to the community,” Porter wrote.
Hubcap is less than two months old, having just been remodeled to replace Porter's former Baja cuisine restaurant El Take it Easy.
The sister restaurants are part of a select few that charge an 18 percent service fee automatically on every bill, saying they “do not accept tips.” Nearly one third of The Linkery’s reviews on Yelp mention the mandatory gratuity, with many saying it feels forced.
Porter has defended the policy, which was the subject of a New York Times story in 2008.
The Linkery’s last day will be July 15, and Hubcap will close by the end of the month. Porter also said each place will be “taken over by a different, independent, locally-based owner, and they will each bring exciting changes to 30th Street.”
