In case you missed it, news broke just before Thanksgiving last week that the owners of the Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub in Cambridge had agreed to purchase the building that houses their food and entertainment complex in Central Square. The news solidified the venue’s future, which became uncertain over the past year.
Today, Joseph and Nabil Sater have sent a message out to the media confirming the purchase of the building at 472 to 480 Massachusetts Ave., promising to “honor [their] rich musical history and continue [their] diverse programing.”
There’s still no word on whether previous plans to build residential and office spaces atop the current structure are in order. In late 2013 the Middle East held community meetings proposing expansion above its multi-room complex as a way to offset the reported $7 million building price.
While we wait for that news to unfold, read the Middle East’s statement below…
Dear Friends and Family,
We hope you had a great start to your holiday season. We wish you many more and a safe end to your 2014.
As you may have heard, via boston.com, we have purchased the building in which we have called our home for many years. Thank you to Luke and Michael at Vanyaland for the swift coverage.
We wish to thank you for all of the congratulatory notes and phone calls over the past few days.
Please take a bow yourselves, as we could not have done it without the undying support of the music and arts community — not only in Central Square — but the world.
We will have some more exciting announcements coming about in 2015 but thought it appropriate to send you a quick note about the building and what we do here.
The Middle East will honor our rich musical history and continue our diverse programing.
When we are asked on the phone what kind of music we book here, we struggle for an answer, and always end up telling the simple truth, “all kinds”.
We continue to improve our menu and offer great deals for dinner and a show and late night snacks. Providing a great place to eat at an affordable price continues to be part of our home-grown agenda.
Thank you for keeping us in your hearts as a permanent cornerstone of Central Square, Cambridge MA, USA.
Sincerely yours,
Nabil and Joseph Sater