Vermont's Independent Voice
Browse News
Browse Arts + Culture
Browse Food + Drink
Browse Cannabis
Browse Music
Browse On Screen
Browse Events
Browse Classifieds
Browse Personals
Published November 14, 2023 at 2:21 p.m. | Updated November 15, 2023 at 10:24 a.m.
After 12 years on lower Church Street, El Gato Cantina permanently closed the doors of its Burlington location this week. The Mexican restaurant's Essex Junction restaurant, food truck, and events and catering business will remain.
"It's a numbers thing," owner Tree Bertram told Seven Days, citing COVID-19-related changes; increasing costs of labor, ingredients and rent; and "a tough market downtown right now" as reasons for the closure.
"Essex [Junction] is doing great," Bertram said of the restaurant's location there. "Our food truck and events are strong as well. So we really want to focus our time on the thriving parts of the business."
El Gato's space at 169 Church Street, where the restaurant originally opened in August 2011, will be available for events, pop-ups and holiday party rentals through December. From there, the "really turnkey" restaurant will be on the market with assets valued at $140,000, Bertram said.
Staff were notified of the closure on Monday. Some of the roughly 20 employees, many of whom are part time, have been offered opportunities elsewhere in the company, Bertram said.
Before deciding to close the Burlington location, she said, she tried strategies to keep it afloat, such as streamlining the menu to reduce prep and payroll costs. "But you see the writing on the wall," she said. "We had a great run here, with awesome employees and wonderful patrons. I'm sad to be leaving."
Related Locations
-
El Gato Cantina (Burlington)
- 169 Church St., Burlington Burlington VT 05401
-
802-540-3095
- www.elgatocantina.com
Related Stories
More By This Author
About The Author
Jordan Barry
Bio:
Jordan Barry is a food writer at Seven Days. She holds a master’s degree in food studies and previously produced podcasts about bread and beverages.
Jordan Barry is a food writer at Seven Days. She holds a master’s degree in food studies and previously produced podcasts about bread and beverages.
Speaking of...
-
COTS Hopes to Use Former Federal Building as Homeless Shelter
Sep 11, 2024 -
Viva el Sabor Pairs Latin Flavors With Essex Experience Shows
Sep 10, 2024 -
Casa Real Group to Add Third Restaurant in Barre
Sep 10, 2024 -
Readers Weigh In on 'Bad News Burlington'
Sep 4, 2024 -
Dining on a Dime: Quick Nepali Eats at Burlington's CK Dumpling House
Sep 3, 2024 - More »
Comments
Comments are closed.
From 2014-2020, Seven Days allowed readers to comment on all stories posted on our website. While we've appreciated the suggestions and insights, right now Seven Days is prioritizing our core mission — producing high-quality, responsible local journalism — over moderating online debates between readers.
To criticize, correct or praise our reporting, please send us a letter to the editor or send us a tip. We’ll check it out and report the results.
Online comments may return when we have better tech tools for managing them. Thanks for reading.
