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View ProfilesPublished October 12, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. | Updated November 22, 2022 at 4:06 p.m.
Last Tuesday, Seven Days reported the sad news that Burlington's Penny Cluse Café would close permanently at the end of 2022, after 25 years of perfect pancakes and huevos rancheros.
Food editor Melissa Pasanen got the scoop, and we published it online. That generated some internal debate about whether we should push the story out over email and call it "breaking" news.
One editor argued that it did not meet the qualifications: No one had died. The owners' decision to close hadn't been prompted by a fire or personal health crisis. It wasn't even related to the pandemic or resulting workforce shortage.
But a larger number, including me, countered: In the Vermont food world, which we cover extensively with two full-time reporters, the Penny Cluse news was huge. That goes for the thousands of people who have willingly waited in line to get a seat in the downtown restaurant.
One reader emailed to question the designation, suggesting that "breaking" news "should affect more people in the state than the hipsters who frequent one local restaurant." It left a "bad taste," he said.
Meanwhile, the story got 35,000 page views on the day it broke — October 4 — and attracted three times more eyeballs in the course of the week than anything else we wrote about, including a pretty compelling cover article about UFOs.
Pasanen's piece spread like a kitchen fire on social media, where people openly expressed their grief. Some even worried what the closure might mean for the future of Burlington. I consoled myself with a 5 p.m. supper on Saturday at Honey Road.
Penny Cluse opened for breakfast and lunch in 1998, three years after we started slinging Seven Days. I watched with admiration as owners Charles Reeves and Holly Cluse grew their company, adding catering, special family-style dinners and, in 2013, a second spot next door. Their hard work and good taste attracted talented coworkers, including chef Maura O'Sullivan, who has toiled alongside Reeves in the kitchen for the past 16 years.
Running a busy restaurant is relentless — not unlike publishing a newspaper. Both are fast-paced team efforts that, with many hands, nourish the community. Even though the product doesn't last, it has to be right: appetizing, consistent and safe. One slipup can undo years of effort. Practically speaking, your reputation is as good as the last meal served.
Being a hands-on owner is great for morale and quality control. But it makes getting away from the shop almost impossible. Reeves cooked up a storm for the past two and a half decades. He also has a great head for the business. Together we've talked about everything from payroll taxes and pandemic relief to labor issues and work-life balance.
He hasn't made much progress on that last one, as a story by Pasanen and Jordan Barry in this week's food section reveals.
Neither have I.
Regrets? I'm sorry I didn't eat more often at Penny Cluse. I wish I'd ordered every single dish on the menu, including Lunch With Lauren, named for one of our former employees who left town a long time ago. I'd like to do that before the restaurant closes between Thanksgiving and Christmas — a goal that would add up to many hours standing in line outside.
With the clock ticking, I know one thing: Instead of wishing for the wait to be over, I'll savor every minute.
Correction, October 13, 2022: An earlier version of this story misattributed the story "Balancing Act." It was written by Melissa Pasanen and Jordan Barry.
Tags: From the Publisher
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