Lunchtime Cafe owners decide to close up shop
Since Lunchtime Cafe decided to close its doors, I’ve been bombarded by calls from people eager to know why the restaurant went out of business. As has always been my policy, when you have questions, I try my hardest to find answers.
So I tracked down Lunchtime Cafe owner John DeCesare and asked him if he would be so kind to fill me in on more of the details as to why the South Chancery Street restaurant closed.
‘It became a seven-day-a-week deal for us,’ said John, who owned the restaurant with his wife, Alicia. ‘We had a pretty good business and it kept us busy. We were at the point where there really wasn’t enough business to hire more people, but it became too much for just us. So we tried to sell if for awhile and when that didn’t happen we closed it.’
Even though Lunchtime Cafe was only open for lunch, the fact all its food was homemade from scratch required a great deal of work. John said they had to arrive early in the morning to begin preparing fresh food. Then when the doors closed, there was considerable amount of clean-up work to do.
When John and Alicia got to leave the restaurant, John said they often found themselves cooking at home so they would be ready for the next day.
‘It was constant cleaning, shopping, preparing,’ said John. ‘Between our catering and the lunch business, it got a little out of hand.’
The property is currently for sale and John said it’s a good restaurant opportunity, provided you have experience.
‘It’s a good opportunity for somebody who is in the business and knows what they’re doing,’ said John. ‘But for somebody who just wants to open a restaurant, it will be tough.’