They opened at 10:30. I got there around 9:40 and was third in line. By the time they opened, the line was down the block, mostly locals. (Here it was the day before). The mood was as melancholy as you'd expect.
Usually I sit by the window, but today, they let folks in one party at a time and they put me at a cozy little table. I'd been hoping to get the chicken schnitzel or goat cheese spaghettini, but those aren't available until later in the day. At brunchtime my options were breakfast, burgers, or sandwiches, so I got the Eggs and Apples Benedict, with honey and bacon of course, and I took one last Elephantburger "to go" (they weren't officially doing takeout, so they just served it to me as-is and then I boxed it up). With some of that mustard on the side.
The story behind their closure was simple: insufficient patronage, even before the pandemic, although that was definitely the nail in the coffin. Even though they owned their building, they'd been unable to turn a profit for some time; I overheard one staff member telling a customer "if there were this many people all the time, we wouldn't be closing." It was heartening to see the love on display, but materially, it was too little, too late.
I'm glad I got there one last time, and my other half of the Benedict plus the Elephantburger will give me leftovers to feed off for a couple of days. I can't imagine what the line for dinner, or the line tomorrow, will look like. If you're gonna go, go early, and prepare to wait.
by eldersveld
Dining and Cooking