As we were passing by Lulu’s on Sunday night we were shocked to see a sign outside saying ‘Last Call…15 Days Left‘. When we popped inside in the hope that the sign was just some kind of sick prank, our worst fears were confirmed: Lulu’s, the Franklin Street institution famed and loved for its free pizza and live music will indeed be closing its doors for the last time on August 9th.

Lulu’s Manager Ani Monteleone tells us the closure “has something to do with an unresolvable disagreement with the landlords of the space.”

In April of this year Lulu’s owner John McGillion took out a lawsuit against his landlord for not allowing him to turn the establishment into a gay bar. According to the New York Post, McGillion stated that he was “barely scraping by on the proceeds of the bar” and felt that he would “be able to make a considerable profit” by making Lulu’s a gay venue. The landlord’s alleged (and shocking) ‘anti-gay clause’ stopped this idea from ever coming to fruition.

McGillion also owns other local free pizza venues The Charleston and The Alligator Lounge (along with several others) and we’re told that “there is no plan to open a new Lulu’s, only to carry on as usual with the other bars.”

“We are all very sad about Lulu’s closing” says Monteleone “and its crazy to see the community’s response as well.”

Lulu’s will be having a GRAND FINALE open show on August 9th that will feature bands from past and present employees of Lulu’s. The final hurrah will start early in the afternoon and will most likely go all night. Stay tuned to their Facebook page for more info. It is essential that everyone who has ever known and loved Lulu’s gets down there to give them the send off they deserve!.

In the meantime make sure you spend a few quality evenings propping up the bar before Lulu’s is gone forever. Grab a beer, rock out, eat some gratis pizza and treat yourself to a few extra toppings. Who knows how long it could be until free pizza returns to Greenpoint…(STIFLED SOB).