Financing concerns blamed for restaurant closing
TROY, N.Y.>> After just a few months in business, Donna’s Italian Restaurant will close its doors this Saturday, May 13 after dinner service.
Donna’s was opened last December by Troy restaurateurs Vic Christopher and Heather LaVine at 1 14th St. in Troy, the longtime location of Minissale’s Wine Cellar Cafe.
Christopher said the decision to close was largely due to the real estate deal, which never went through.
Because Christopher and LaVine didn’t own the building, the expense to revenue ratio was off, Christopher said. “We can’t continue to sustain that project in that space without owning the building.”
The business owners initially put off closing on the property, thinking that the restaurant’s success once open would attract banks to finance it, but that never happened.
“I think we got into it intending that the thing would be a runaway hit,” Christopher said, “but the truth is we weren’t profitable in that location.”
In hindsight, Christopher said Donna’s was a project that they moved on too quickly and they were overextended. “This was more of an emotional decision for us to move forward with that project,” he said. “We did this project out of a love for the business that was there previously and our friendship with the Minissales and we really didn’t think it through,” Christopher said.
Although it sounded great and felt great at the time, Christopher said. “We neglected to really take a step back and take a hard look at a business plan.”
Now, Christopher and LaVine feel like they have no choice other than to back out, letting someone else acquire the property and run a business there, Christopher said. “It just makes more sense for somebody fresh to come into that space and purchase the building and make a go of it.”
Christopher believes that an-
other eatery, particularly a chef- owned business, could successfully operate from the 1 14th St. site, which is still owned by the Minissales. “It is a great business opportunity, just not for us now,” he said.
Though plenty of the entrepreneurs’ other business endeavors are prosperous, “These things are tough,” Christopher said. “Not everything you try is going to work out.”
Christopher recalls being heartbroken when The Grocery on Broadway closed in 2015, “and this is very sad to close Donna’s down,” he said.
Nevertheless, “We’ll never stop innovating and creating,” he continued. “You have to take these risks in business. This is normal.”
For those who liked the Donna’s concept and cuisine, the owners are leaning in the direction of bringing it back in some form at 207 Broadway, the former site of Broadway News.
Most of the Donna’s staff will remain employed by Christopher and LaVine’s company Clark House Hospitality. “We’ll look to move that talent downtown and increase offerings in our Clark House properties downtown,” Christopher said.
Looking ahead, Clark House Hospitality plans to simultaneously focus on increasing offerings at Peck’s Arcade on Broadway, as well as finishing the backyard patio area and menu at dive bar The Bradley on Fourth Street.
For the near future, Christopher and LaVine are going to work with what they’ve got. “Maximizing the opportunities that already exist within the company is the focus right now,” Christopher said, mentioning that their company has property yet to be developed. “We have enough work to keep us busy for a long time.”