  A gap in phase space is opened up by a binary supermassive black hole as it
ejects stars in a galactic nucleus. This gap must be refilled before the single
black hole that subsequently forms can disrupt or accrete stars. We compute
loss cone refilling rates for a sample of elliptical galaxies as a function of
the mass ratio of the binary. Refilling times are of order 10 Gyr or longer in
bright elliptical galaxies. Tidal flaring rates in these galaxies might be much
lower than predicted using time-independent models.
