The Boston food scene will soon lose a unique part of its ecosystem when Clover Food Lab closes all its locations this week.
In a message to customers, the local chain pointed to broader forces that are hitting many restaurants these days and said its final day of restaurant service and meal box delivery will be Thursday, May 28. The restaurant said it was deeply saddened to share the news.
“For years we’ve been navigating the hangover effects of COVID and inflation at every part of our supply chain, but we are proud to have remained committed to sourcing high-quality ingredients from local farms,” Clover CEO Julia Wrin Piper said in a statement. “Today, everyone is getting hit with rising costs — food prices are up, delivery prices are up, and a hundred other costs are moving in the same direction … even the less flashy things like cardboard and fry oil. Across the board, our ingredients cost 30%-50% more today than they did just two years ago. Our farmers are experiencing the same pressures we are.”
Clover, which started as a food truck at MIT in 2008, specializes in vegetarian fares. It filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023, but emerged from bankruptcy the following year.
Despite the news of the imminent closure, there was a steady trickle of customers going in and out of Clover’s Inman Square location in Cambridge on Wednesday.
“I feel like it’s tough for smaller businesses or local chains to survive right now with everything that’s going on,” said Melissa Friebe, who praised Clover’s breakfast sandwiches and pita. “And it’s really sad because they have really good food, everyone loves it and everyone wants it. But they just can’t make ends meet and make it sustainable for them.”
Sam Freilich called the closure a tragedy.
“It’s very sad that they couldn’t make the numbers work,” Freilich said. “It’s a working business as far as I can tell. Like, obviously, they couldn’t make the profits line up somehow. It’s really sad that they are just liquidating.”
Before Clover performs the final note of its swan song, its encouraging customers to come in and to share their favorite memories with them.
