Mr. Baba, as well as Namie's town hall operations, remain evacuated in Nihonmatsu, a city about 30 kilometers inland.
James Nomikos, the director of hall operations who managed that project, was forced out abruptly yesterday but will remain on as a construction consultant.
Those leaving included the director of marketing, the director of public relations, the artistic administrator and the director of hall operations, in addition to the director of real estate operations.
And initially, many in the restaurant business were skeptical that the concept could fly in a cavernous space once occupied by the Toy Manufacturers Club, then a Cipriani catering-hall operation that never achieved traction.
Psychology and dining-hall operation practices also play a role: the way food is positioned and presented is often a function of the ergonomics of the food preparation process, because dining-hall managers want to avoid safety risks and repetitive-stress injuries among their staff.
Hipster alleys are not exactly novel these days in major cities, but this appealingly scruffy hall, in operation since 1961, blends its old-school amenities (skeevy bathroom included) and hipster credentials (a D.J. playing '80s New Wave) with an authenticity that doesn't seem strained.
In 2012, the Calumet Investment Group bought Calumet Farm and leased it to Kelley, who moved his Bluegrass Hall racing operation and 200 horses from his Hurricane Hill farm to the historic Calumet property in early 2013.
The city hall emergency operations center has little electric power and no computers.
Mr. Chávez runs a well-oiled patronage system, a Tammany Hall-like operation but on a national scale.
Asked about employee complaints that he was unusually demanding and autocratic, Mr. Ohnesorg said he had tried to analyze the hall's operations carefully and to make changes with dignity.
