Charlotte Brunch Staple Closes Its Doors
I’ve written this before, but nothing makes me sadder than to see a restaurant closing its doors. Those that run restaurants have a passion for food and a passion for sharing it with people. Shuttering that restaurant is shuttering someone’s passion, someone’s dream. The latest to fall in this category is LittleSpoon in Myrers Park. The Charlotte brunch staple has had its last day of operation after ten years in business.
What Is The History Of LittleSpoon?
LittleSpoon owner, Alesha Stegemeyer came to Charlotte from Los Angeles, California, more than ten years ago. At the time, the dining landscape in the Queen City was far different than what we enjoy today. When Stegemeyer opened LittleSpoon, the eatery was one of the first in town to actually offer brunch. Also, LittleSpoon played hip-hop throughout service and from start to finish was very chef-driven and ingredient focused.
So What Went Wrong With LittleSpoon?
As always with these sorts of things, it’s never just one thing than leads to the closing of a restaurant. Let’s start with this, the obvious. Running a restaurant is hard. No matter how passionate you are (and as I mentioned, all restauranteurs are passionate), burnout from the stress is almost inevitable. No doubt a huge part of this was the Covid-19 pandemic that was a crushing blow to so many businesses. That, combined with ever-rising food costs and labor issues eventually proved to be too much to overcome. Alesha Stegemeyer tells the Charlotte Business Journal, “It takes a lot of money to keep a restaurant operating, It just got to a point where it wasn’t working anymore. I feel like I accomplished everything I set out to accomplish. It was just time.”
Stegemeyer, who’s been splitting her time between Charlotte and her family in Miami, is looking forward to what happens next. And I wish her well on her next passion. And thank her for sharing her food one with us.
