Columbus restaurants that said farewell in 2021
This year saw the closure of several beloved Columbus dining institutions. The lingering coronavirus pandemic and a dearth of workers willing to return to the hospitality industry continues to weigh on the city’s dining scene.
The restaurants we lost run the gamut from upscale destinations, to momand-pop diners, to national and regional chains, proving no one is entirely safe from COVID’S economic fallout.
Listed below are some of the prominent restaurants that closed in 2021.
Sweet Carrot, Grandview
Sweet Carrot closed its last remaining restaurant on West Fifth Avenue near Grandview Heights in October. Owner Angela Petro composed a lengthy Facebook post explaining the stress of the pandemic was too much for her without an obvious ending in sight.
The restaurant was Sweet Carrot’s flagship location. It opened, and then shuttered, two additional restaurants in 2019, and Petro said at the time that she expanded too quickly.
Petro owns several other brands, including caterer Together and Co.
Geordie’s Restaurant, Merion Village
When this British-style pub and restaurant closed in the spring, co-owner and executive chef Glen Hall-jones said he couldn’t find enough workers, even after advertising job openings at every opportunity.
Hall-jones blamed the worker shortage on enhanced unemployment
checks, but research and reporting by various new outlets found the problem extended well beyond the extra payments, and the hospitality industry’s hiring problems continued even after unemployment payments returned to normal.
Steamroller Bagels, Granville
Steamroller is a recent casualty of the coronavirus pandemic and the hiring problems stemming from it. The Granville restaurant and cafe was known for steamed bagel sandwiches.
Owner Jay Snyder said he didn’t have enough people to keep the place open. In a Nov. 18 Facebook post, Snyder said he had only two full-time employees, and both of them are moving to other jobs.
Lewis Center Kitchen and Bar, Polaris
Owner Justin Chaung said he paid between $200 and $300 a week to advertise job openings online but found too few takers to keep his Polaris restaurant and bar open.
Without enough workers, Chaung said he had to turn too many patrons away. The establishment closed unceremoniously in October.
Chaung also owns the House of Japan restaurants in Dublin and Polaris.
G. Michael’s Bistro and Bar, German Village
Owners Jeff Bentley and David Tetzloff said they had to shutter the restaurant because they could not agree on the terms of a new lease with the property owner. The neighborhood institution was open for 23 years before it closed in September.
Tee Jaye’s Country Place, Clintonville
The property owner forced Tee Jaye’s out of the lot at the corner of North High Street and Morse Road in April when they declined to renew the restaurant’s lease. The 24-hour diner was popular with breakfast crowds and late-night revelers coming home from neighborhood bars, and the Tee Jaye’s ownership said they would have kept the restaurant at that location if given the chance.
Tee Jaye’s announced another Clintonville location on North High Street at the site of a former Bareburger a few weeks after shuttering the restaurant at Morse and High. That restaurant has yet to open.
Old Bag of Nails Pub and Pour House Tavern, Gahanna
Owner Mike Purdum said he closed both establishments, which were right next to each other at Creekside in Gahanna, over the summer after a buyer approached him with a generous offer for the property, although he did not name the buyer or the terms of the purchase.
Old Bag of Nails still has several locations in Columbus Area cities such as Upper Arlington, Clintonville and Bexley.
M at Miranova, Downtown
M at Miranova was one of the crown jewels of the Cameron Mitchell restaurant empire until it closed in March of 2020. The company at first said the closure was temporary but made it permanent earlier this year. No announcement was made, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants simply removed any mention of M from its website and confirmed the closure only when reporters asked about it.
The establishment was one of only two Columbus restaurants to win the coveted AAA Four Diamond Award (the other was the Refectory on the Northwest Side) and was known for an elegantly decorated interior and an extensive menu of wines and craft cocktails. But restaurants known for dine-in service were hit especially hard by the pandemic, and Downtown diners lost much of their clientele with the rise of remote work.
Main Bar, Downtown
The building housing the Main Bar was 130 years old when it was demolished in October to make way for parking spaces. Owner Jim Velio didn’t give a reason for the closure when the bar announced it would shutter in February, but COVID devastated Downtown restaurants and bars as the workers they relied on abandoned downtown offices.
The bar was an institution, resisting eviction attempts and standing tall as buildings were torn down around it. Property owner Scott Schiff, an attorney and developer, said he plans to develop the area, but has not outlined those plans.
Platform Beer, Downtown
The Cleveland-based brewery’s Downtown taproom remains closed after an employee walkout in February, even as the company insists it will reopen. Employees cited a disregard for health and safety protocols, intense schedules, and a lack of hazard pay, which they found especially jarring after Platform repeatedly boasted of financial success.
The company said it took the employee concerns seriously, but said it took clear precautions and cared about the health and safety of its workers.
Anheuser Busch bought Platform in 2019.
Mccarthy’s Wildflower Cafe, Clintonville
This Clintonville breakfast and lunch institution was closed to dine-in service for much of the pandemic, but in September, the owners said they simply could not keep the diner open.
Wildflower was popular among Clintonville residents, but the owners said via Facebook that running the place during a pandemic was too taxing.
Panera Bread, Brewery District
The Brewery District Panera Bread closed abruptly in September. While Panera did not comment on the closure, a sign posted in the window said the company could not hire enough workers to keep every store in the area open.
The message also said the closure was temporary, but offered no return date and all Panera signage is gone.
Bob Evans, Clintonville
The Bob Evans restaurant in the Graceland Shopping Center off North High Street closed with little fanfare in October. A sign said the closure is temporary, but the company did not answer
questions about when it would reopen, or whether employees were redirected to other restaurants.
Other Bob Evans restaurants in the area are still open.
Village Taco, Merion Village
This quirky vegan eatery built a strong cult following when it first opened last year, but owner Johnny Stone said the establishment couldn’t survive the stress of the COVID pandemic. He said in September that he was barely making ends meet because all of his revenue went to employee salaries and overhead costs.
Rockmill Tavern, Brewery District
Rockmill Tavern closed in the spring but reopened months later as a Bandit Pizza and Pairings by Rockmill, which focuses on carryout and delivery.
Owner Matthew Barbee said the decision to rebrand was rooted in his belief that delivery and carryout orders will continue to dominate the restaurant business, even as coronavirus pandemic ebbs.
Japanese Oriental Restaurant
This campus-area institution is closing over a dispute with the property owner. Restaurateur Kin Aun said in a Facebook post that the company that owns the building wants to convert it into apartments and her establishment will shutter by the end of the year.
The University District diner is beloved among college students and people who live in the area. It stands in the same neighborhood as other cherished campus-area eateries such as Cazuelas Mexican Cantina and the New Taj Mahal.
Buffalo Wild Wings, Northwest Side
The Bethel Center Mall restaurant and bar was one of the oldest Buffalo Wild Wings in the nation and still sported the company’s original “BW-3” logo. The logo refers to “Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck,” the chain’s original title.
A note was posted at the entrance said June 20 would be the sport bar’s last day but didn’t give a reason for the closure.
Big Bang Dueling Piano Bar, Arena District
The Arena District location of this live music chain shuttered at the onset of the pandemic but the owners did not confirm that the closure was permanent until this year. A campus-area Big Bang is in the works.
Short North Food Hall
“Food Hall” was something of a misnomer, as the establishment only had two places to eat and gained a reputation as a late-night hangout akin to other Short North pubs and taverns. Owner Corso Ventures closed the Short North Food Hall in May and replaced it with the music venue Standard Live.
Market District Bar and Kitchen, Bexley
This bar and restaurant served customers shopping at Bexley’s Giant Eagle Market District Express until it shuttered in August.
Yellow Brick Pizza, Olde Towne East
The Greater Columbus pizza chain closed its flagship location in June. The pizzeria was located in the two-story brick building at the corner of Oak and South 18th Streets with the iconic “Welcome to Olde Towne East” sign painted on the side of it. A Trolley District location is in the works.
Dough Mama, Brewery District
Dough Mama closed its Brewery District location in the spring. In a social media post, owner Pierre Wilkof said she planned to pursue a master’s degree and could no longer juggle two locations. The bakery’s Clintonville store remains open.
Sassafras Bakery, Worthington
Owner A.J. Perry closed her bakery with little explanation in August, saying in a Facebook post that she wanted to move on to the next stage in evolution of her business. Sassafras served items such as soup and quiche in addition to baked goods and became known for creative flourishes like lampshades made from cake pans.