Chase’s Daily in Belfast announced Tuesday morning that the restaurant will reopen with a new and less expansive concept in early June.
The eatery, which closed in January, has offered counter-service food and beverages for several years after pivoting away from a fine dining concept that earned it accolades from the James Beard Foundation. Throughout the winter, the owners said in social media posts that they were trying to figure out what’s next for Chase’s Daily.
The eatery will reopen in early June on Tuesdays through Fridays serving a menu featuring pizza, salad, coffee and soft serve ice cream, according to the restaurant.
“Chase’s Daily closed in January because it was losing money. After an intensely busy summer the business had not broken even for the year, and by October was more than $30,000 in the red. Chase’s Daily also closed because of exhaustion and stress,” owners said in a blog post on the Chase’s Daily website.
The reopening will also change how the restaurant operates, according to the post. Tips will be pooled and all restaurant roles will be shared among a smaller staff. Prices will go up, the restaurant said.
Chase’s Daily joins several other midcoast restaurants including Wolfpeach in Camden and Cafe Miranda in Rockland that have changed concepts recently and are aiming to pay employees living wages. Wolfpeach also pivoted to a pizza concept earlier this year.
“Profitability will always be the elephant in the room, and capitalism and food make for strange bedfellows. Is there a way to thread this needle? Can we grow, make, and serve food without exploiting ourselves, our workers, our environment? We are willing to give it a go, we hope you will join us in the effort,” Chase’s Daily said in a blog post.
