Beloved Tucson vegan restaurant may close after 20 years

Lovin’ Spoonfuls, a vegan restaurant in midtown Tucson, may close its doors after more than 20 years.

TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) - Lovin’ Spoonfuls, a beloved vegan restaurant in midtown Tucson, may close its doors after more than two decades.

Owner Michelle Cornett said the financial strain has become unsustainable as businesses across the country face rising costs and inflation.

“We’ve had to get loans out, and it just, it keeps building up, and it’s been three months since my husband’s got paid, and gone through the savings, and there’s nothing else we can put into it,” Cornett said.

The restaurant has faced mounting pressure from record inflation rates that have hit already thin margins for vegan establishments.

“All of our products are more expensive to begin with. You know, we’re having to use like specialty products,” said Lovin’ Spoonfuls Chef John Paul Lopez.

Those increased costs forced the restaurant to shorten its normal business hours in January. Now facing closure, Cornett said it would take a Hail Mary to keep the restaurant open.

“Just the relationships that I’ve built, or that we’ve built since we’ve been here- that’s gonna be the hardest part if we close: not seeing those people,” Cornett said.

Lovin’ Spoonfuls is not alone. Brother John’s BBQ closed its doors this week after 11 years, moving to strictly catering services and citing similar rising costs.

“For the last 18 months, we’ve seen a significant drop for the first time since we opened. And this year we’re almost down 25% from last year,” said John Aldecoa, part owner of Brother John’s.

Dr. Tirthankar Roy, a University of Arizona marketing professor, said brick-and-mortar restaurants face the steepest challenges amid an inflation rate that is over a percent higher than normal.

“The full-service restaurants, they are the ones with the larger fixed costs, the larger overhead costs, and they are the ones who are probably being affected, uh, the most now,” Roy said.

Roy said the rise in remote jobs has cut down on the usual lunch rush and post-work dinner rush. He said the outlook for the industry remains difficult.

“I don’t see any simple fix for their problems given the current, you know, economic climate and the way consumers are changing their consumption habits,” Roy said.

While Roy said restaurants can try to adapt to the changing customer consumption habits, Lopez said community support is critical to keeping local restaurants open.

“We have flavors in Tucson that you’re not gonna get anywhere else, and if people aren’t supporting that, that’s all gonna go away. You know, it can’t be recreated,” Lopez said.

Cornett said the restaurant needs to raise $62,000 to stay afloat. A GoFundMe has been set up to support the business.

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