Downtown restaurant closes its doors
Aug. 9—On Saturday, Craft Restaurant and Artistry closed its doors for good.
The store closed at its regular time, 9 p.m., and their are no plans to reopen in the future.
At the start of this week, owner Ashley Gallaher said there was no plan to close the restaurant. However, Gallaher went over the cost of ingredients to make the restaurant's meals and decided there simply wasn't enough profit to keep the business going.
"It was blatantly clear we had hit the end of the road," Gallaher said.
Gallaher explained to The Register, even if someone came in and handed her $20,000 to keep going, she could, but it would most likely only last a couple of months because they don't know what will happen with food costs. She said she figured they would have to charge $8 just for a cheeseburger to keep making money or break even.
"No sides, no drink, nothing fancy. Just a cheeseburger," Gallaher said.
Gallaher explained small, local businesses cannot compete with chains simply because they pay less for their food than small places. She said chains buy in bulk, and therefore suppliers give them discounts. She said small businesses end up paying more for their items because they can't buy in bulk.
"We can only get knocked down and get back up again so many times, financially, physically, and mentally," Gallaher said in a Facebook post.
Food cost isn't the only issue Craft has been facing. They have battled issues with the restaurant's building, problems with their air conditioning and equipment repairs, and more.
"Our setbacks have been numerous — initially opening only five weeks before the pandemic took over all of our lives; opening in 2020 meant we never qualified for any federal small business relief (neither the PPP or RPF); our building came with many surprises — it sprung some dangerous leaks during the ice storm back in February, our air conditioner was not operating correctly for over a month, losing us thousands of dollars. We've had electrical problems and plumbing problems; multiple large and expensive pieces of equipment have either broken all together or required costly repairs," Gallaher said in a Facebook post.
"It's just been a million tiny things," Gallaher said.
In a Facebook post, Gallaher said there is no plan to reopen the restaurant either where it is now or in a new location.
"Heartbreakingly, Craft is a successful restaurant in nearly every measure. We've worked unbelievably hard every day-in and day-out to build something we're proud of," Gallaher said in a Facebook post. "... We wouldn't have made it this far without the love and support of the community."
Gallaher called for Madison Countians to stop by last Saturday and enjoy Craft's last day of business.
"Please come see us in our last days so you can enjoy our food, ice cream, and bubble drinks and so we can enjoy each other's company one last time," Gallaher said in a Facebook post. "There will be tears, hugs, laughter, gratitude, and ice cream."
