BOSTON —
In a major reversal, Clover Food Labs announced Wednesday that it would not close its Boston and Cambridge locations, as the company said it would back in May.
The vegetarian restaurant chain, which operates in the Boston metro area, announced on May 26 that it would close after 17 years in business.
Clover Food Labs will close all restaurants and delivery operations, affecting about 170 employees
However, in an email sent out Wednesday, Clover Food Labs said it they were not prepared for the response from diners who loved the restaurant and that the outpouring of love influenced the company to stay open.
“On the last day at Harvard Square (which also happened to be Commencement) our long-tenured team was laughing and reminiscing and blasting music amidst all the “sorries” from customers standing shoulder-to-shoulder, holding their last Mushroom Popper or Soy BLT. Customers were crying, and that made us cry,” the company said in an email.
All Boston and Cambridge locations will remain closed for the remainder of the week and will reopen officially on June 9. Breakfast will return on June 10.
Clover Food Labs made several promises in the email announcing its return, including the following:
“We will not continue as a shell of ourselves, or someone else’s concept grafted onto our leases. We will continue as the experience that we have all built together—the concept that moved so many to raise their voices last week. We will continue to change with the seasons, support local farmers, create local jobs, and foster community.”