Award-Winning Birch Closing in Downtown Providence

Award-Winning Birch Closing in Downtown Providence

Birch is closing in downtown Providence. 

In 2014, Birch -- located across from Trinity Rep -- was one of Bon Appetit’s Best New Restaurants in America.

Now, with coronavirus -- and Trinity announcing there will be no in-person A Christmas Carol, a blow to all surrounding businesses in the area -- Birch is closing. 

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Birch Message to Customers:

To Our Friends, Family and Supporters,

On October 19th, 2020–seven and half years since its opening–birch will be serving its last meal. Ten years was always this unofficial timeline I had in my mind for birch. To say that this small, 18-seat restaurant didn't exceed my own lofty expectations just because it didn't hit that milestone would be selling it all incredibly short. Birch didn't need ten years to accomplish what it did.

Opening birch, I got to cook at a level above any of the opportunities I had prior while Heidi kept us all organized and on a straight path as we navigated the nuances of operating one then two restaurants. Looking back on birch's time as a whole, I am proud of what we were able to achieve and am so sad to see it end, if for nothing else not being able to come to work with teams at birch. The individuals that came through these doors and worked their asses off are the reason why birch overachieved every single night. Birch is closing with grace, humility and beauty because of them. These people are the finest cooks, hospitality professionals, educators, mentors and students I have ever known and worked alongside.

I want to explain birch's closing more. Once the weather cools (it is still perfectly warm out, y'all) and outdoor dining dwindles, birch can not survive another shift. Eating indoors is a scary, last-resort situation. A lot of business owners are being forced to decide to place value towards making a dollar or ensuring public health and safety standards during a pandemic. The combination of Covid-19 and HVAC is like introducing malaria to the mosquito. This is my choice and I don't fault anyone else during these times who must continue to choose. The moral gray area we are wading through should have been far less dire if at any point this virus had been met with precaution, economic relief, heeding scientific advice and consistent leadership.

I'm lucky that I still have Oberlin and its team. I’ve exercised my demons at birch which has helped me look past my ego and learn to trust those around me. I have new goals and new challenges that I need to get to and closing birch is part of this process.

Thanks for having us PVD.