Less than a year after opening in the heart of Glencoe, Poppy’s Social is set to close by the end of the month.
Owner Peter Kadens wrote a note on his LinkedIn page June 18 that Poppy’s, located at 668 Vernon Avenue, served its last meal on June 26.
Kadens said he had failed and then cited financial reasons for the decision to shutter operations at the restaurant that opened in the summer of 2021.
“I wanted to create a family friendly pizza restaurant where I paid employees very well and where they received equity and ownership in the business. We did that,” Kadens wrote in the post. “Unfortunately, the financial model didn’t work. As the weather got nicer in these last few weeks and the financial results didn’t improve I made the decision that I could not ever create equity value for my employees under this construct.”
Illinois Restaurant Association President Sam Toia wrote in an email about the overall current challenges facing restaurants in today’s environment more than two years after the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
“Restaurants overall are on a steady path to recovery but it’s still a very difficult time, as many face years of debt, higher food costs, supply issues, and staffing challenges,” Toia wrote. “Even during normal times, for every dollar a restaurant takes in, 95-97 cents goes right back into the food, employees, and everything else that goes with running the restaurant.”
While Poppy’s is set to close, Kadens is promising that another restaurant would open in the space in early 2023 in the space. He said the type of restaurant remains to be determined.
“We are being very thoughtful and methodical about what could work here in Glencoe. We have met with six restaurant groups who would partner with us,” Kadens wrote in an email to Pioneer Press. “I don’t know which direction I am heading. Could be anything from Asian cuisine to burgers and fries. It’s all about the best fit for the community. I encourage the community to reach out to let us know what they would like to see in the Poppy’s location.”
Village President Howard Roin said in an interview that over many decades restaurants in Glencoe have had trouble achieving success but that has changed in recent years that he believed was tied into the opening of the nearby Writers Theatre.
Poppy’s opened last year amid some complaints from the neighbors fearing the impact on the neighborhood leading to village board discussions.
“We come to an understanding as to what was going on back there,” Roin said.
Roin said he did not know why Poppy’s didn’t achieve financial success, but did not believe it was part of a larger trend for the village.
“I’m sorry this restaurant didn’t work, but I’m not worried about the vibrancy of uptown Glencoe or the ability to put another business into that space,” Roin said. “I think we are doing our best to make Glencoe hospitable to businesses and restaurants and I hope we can do that for whatever the next iteration is.”
Daniel I. Dorfman is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.