“Four years ago, we bubbled with anticipation of what 134 Dayton Street would become. We had just signed our lease and we were crafting our name and fine-tuning our vision for The Greene Canteen. We have always been passionate about health & wellness and sustainability. We invested in our community and sought out local partnerships and collaborations which often put us in contact with other small business owners, artisans, farmers and interesting people in general.Reflecting on these last four years, I’ve come to the realization that our lives have been much like those of farmers. A farmer clears land, plants seeds, nourishes the seeds, and if things go right, the farmer has a bountiful harvest. Additionally, farmers must also plan for unexpected situations and must troubleshoot challenges (drought, floods, infestations, etc.) every year. The moment the farmer plants a seed, there is no guarantee.
Our lives have felt much like that. We’ve built a beautiful space, made all the necessary upgrades to make the space function, crafted an evolving menu based off customers’ desires, and hired and trained a team. We planned for unexpected situations…what if it rains/snows so much that if affects foot traffic? What if the price of avocados triples? What if _________?
We never planned for a pandemic. Covid-19 has changed all of our lives and has changed the food industry forever. Since 2020, we have built and rebuilt this business a handful of times. We have hired & trained, hired & trained, hired & trained, etc. constantly. We have lost suppliers and faced shortages (where are we going to get our to go boxes? Where are we going to get our frozen berries? No more XL gloves? Avocados, again?). The costs have skyrocketed. Not just labor, but every single item. The costs of gloves quadrupled. On top of all that, add in the actual health threat of Covid-19. When numbers spike, that means more disruptions (more employees who cannot work due to illness and more customers are staying home). Now, multiply all of this by 2. We have two “farms” and our other “farm” in located 55 miles away.
After reflecting over a very long winter, we realized that this “new normal” is not sustainable for us. We were so busy focusing on the health & wellness of our businesses, employees and customers, that we neglected our own personal health (pretty ironic when you consider the intention of The Greene Canteen.). So, we’ve decided to change that.
We’ve decided to sell The Greene Canteen so we can focus on our personal health and happiness (and only tend to one “farm”). Local restauranteur, Miguel Espinosa has purchased The Greene Canteen. While his vision will be a little different, you will see some similar menu items and familiar faces; Miguel intends to keep all team members of The Greene Canteen.
The next couple of weeks are going to be busy; we’re trying to expand our hours and see as many friendly faces as possible before our final goodbye. Our last day of operation will be June 30th. If you have a chance, please stop in grab that last Dirty Banana or Spicy Chicky Sandwich. If you have gift cards, please make sure you use them before July 1st. Please check our social media for expanded hours as well as any retail sales.
If you don’t get to say your “goodbye”, don’t worry. You will see us bopping around town when we’re not at Brezel. In fact, you might see us out and about more often.
Thank you for all your support – without you, we wouldn’t be here today. Life takes you on some interesting paths. I can’t wait to see what happens next.
XO,
Brittany & Tim
