Shop Temporarily Closing, Switching to Preorder Only

Our storefront is temporarily closing but our kitchen will still be operational for preorders

Hi friends,

This is a very hard newsletter to write. I’ve been trying all day to not think about it, but it has to be done.

Long story short, the City is requiring us to close our storefront temporarily at the end of the day tomorrow (Friday, 5/24/24). During the process of figuring out logistics for our kitchen subletter, the building department found that the Certificate of Occupancy we received does not include the use of our storefront area as a retail space. We were not aware of this and didn’t realize the approval we got was so restrictive. This is our first time building out a space and there seems to have been a misunderstanding between us, the contractor, and the City on what was allowed. That being said, we are remedying the issue by resubmitting plans and getting the permits and inspections needed so that we can reopen the retail space as soon as possible. We’re unsure how long it will take but we’re hoping it won’t be very long.

A related stressor in all this is that we’ve been dealing with unsubstantiated complaints about smells from our kitchen since we opened. The claims are that the food we make, particularly the savory items, are producing toxic fumes and causing bodily harm. It has escalated to the point where I had to get a lawyer. Myself and my employees have been harassed numerous times and our operation has been complained about to every governing body possible: the local health department, MDARD (our licensing authority), and the City. Because of said complaints, we also need to resubmit plans for our kitchen and have another mechanical inspection on the equipment, even though everything was apparently approved back in February.

Needless to say, I feel disheartened and defeated. Opening and running a business is hard. Having a toddler on top of that is hard. I’m barely able to keep it together with everything else going on. My mental and emotional energy have been draining with each passing week. I’m worried, but I know things will turn out okay. We will do what we need to do and we will reopen the shop even better than before. We’re taking this opportunity to experiment and stock up and are planning to return with more offerings like breakfast sandwiches and maybe Sunday Taiwanese brunch(?!).

In the meantime, the biggest way you can support our business is continuing to be our lovely customers. Our kitchen area is still approved to operate so we will still be making our full menu of pastries, lunch specials, preorder cakes, frozen dumplings, and coffee. The big difference is that you will need to preorder on our online shop (it’ll be up and running by Saturday) and pick up at the table set up outside. I know this is a huge hassle for everyone and harkens back to COVID lockdown times, but this is how we have to operate in the interim. Another way to support us is by purchasing e-gift cards. Your support means the world, especially during this uncertain time, so that I can keep all of my staff on payroll while the storefront is closed.

We hope to see you soon, outside the shop!

With gratitude,
Rachel

My kid sitting on a potty at the shop when we first got the keys. Not sure why, but this photo grounds me. I was so full of anticipation when I took this. Even though it feels like we’re back at square one, I anticipate when we’ll see customers in this space again soon!