Niche Food Group founder Gerard Craft announced via Facebook today that five restaurants—Pastaria, Sardella, Brasserie by Niche,Taste, and Brasswell inside Rockwell Beer Co.—will be closed until further notice in response to the coronavirus crisis.
“Our company barely made it through the financial crisis in 2008, but that crisis was all about money and not about the physical health of our community. This [one] is affecting both health and finance and unfortunately, the cures for these are in direct conflict with each another.
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“All of the smartest people I know are saying that the only way to slow or stop this pandemic is extreme social distancing and, more importantly, self-quarantine. Effective immediately, we will be closing all of our restaurants except Cinder House, until further notice.”
Pick-up and delivery food will not be an option either, because experts are saying that “bringing people to work everyday for non essential services is continuing to make the spread of coronavirus worse.” In the interim, Niche Food Group will be providing free, delivered meals for people in need via the North Sarah Food Hub. Craft is also working to try to provide free to-go meals for employees affected by the closure.
In an Instagram video posted earlier this morning, Craft also urged state and local officials to assist restaurants and workers by immediately supporting emergency unemployment benefits to all hourly and salaried workers furloughed during this crisis, eliminating payroll tax immediately and to call for rent and loan abatement for impacted workers.
In an email just received, Aaron Teitlebaum announced that he has closed Herbie’s and both locations of Kingside Diner, effective immediately, and that as soon as government health officials assure that it is safe, the restaurants will reopen.Teitelbaum added that the restaurants will be donating food all on hand to food banks and shelters.
Other recently announced closures include Savage, Frazer’s, and all of Ben Poremba’s restaurants (Elaia, Olio, Benevolent King, and Nixta). Poremba’s pick-up and to-go market (AO&Co.) remains open.
