Trolley Car Station in West Philadelphia closes, new operator is sought

“It was not the staff’s fault or the community’s fault,” owner Ken Weinstein said. “We opened with a concept that I thought would work and it just didn’t resonate.”

Trolley Car Station, at 40th Street Trolley Portal Gardens, opened in fall 2018. It seats up to 200 people.Read moreChris Richman, University City District

by Michael Klein

Published April 16, 2019, 5:31 p.m. ET

Trolley Car Station, a cafe that opened as part of the renovation of the 40th Street Trolley Portal in West Philadelphia, has closed after seven months. A new operator is being sought.

Owner Ken Weinstein, who said he invested $2.5 million in developing and building the restaurant at 40th Street and Baltimore Avenue, said that the business wasn’t financially viable and that he feared that its woes would spread to his other restaurants, Trolley Car Cafe in East Falls and Trolley Car Diner in Mount Airy.

“It was not the staff’s fault or the community’s fault,” Weinstein said, citing efforts to hire a 20-person staff that reflected the neighborhood’s diversity. “We opened with a concept that I thought would work and it just didn’t resonate.”

Weinstein, a developer, holds a 45-year lease on the property. “While I’m upset to give it up, I am excited to find the right operator to take it over with the right concept," he said.

Trolley Car Station, which has a liquor license, has 200 indoor and outdoor seats including private party space.