The operator of the Rosebud diner in Somerville’s Davis Square from 2023 to this May has surrendered its licensing to the landlord at 381 Summer St., freeing the historic property for the next restaurateur.
Koushik “Babu” Koganti had told the Licensing Commission in July that he was negotiating to buy the building from owner Martin Bloom and, if successful, would reopen to customers in a matter of weeks.
“Unfortunately, that didn’t go through well, so [last month we] canceled the lease with the landlord and we transferred our liquor license,” Koganti told commissioners on Tuesday.
Even with the fair-market value of the private liquor license, there’s still an outstanding balance, “so we worked a deal with the landlord, which we said we are going to pay down the line,” Koganti said.
Commissioners said they were waiting for proper documentation but considered the Rosebud closed.
The Rosebud opened in 1941, becoming a beloved part of the square’s culinary scene over decades of Nichols family ownership and landing a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. The diner car and more traditional attached restaurant space at the rear got a refresh from Joe Cassinelli’s Alpine Restaurant Group with chef John Delpha after a 2013 purchase, then shut down suddenly in 2023 for an $800,000 sale and a revamp under Koganti. There was mystery then too because of Bindaas’ initial silence about its plans, and bad publicity from the sacking of 55 staff members “out of the blue.”
After years of operation that saw Koganti’s Bindaas Concepts introduce an Indian fusion version of diner fare to mixed reviews, the restaurant closed without warning in mid-May. At the time, an informal representative of the company – an unidentified person who picked up the phone – said there was “just a small hiccup” of a plumbing problem that could be resolved within a day. May 19 came and went, and the diner has been dark since, with Koganti giving commissioners a different story about flooring repairs and the purchase attempt.
A person familiar with the Rosebud’s situation said there may be action on a revival as soon as November.
