Community Efforts Unable to Save Nature’s Best Cafe from Closing

When Dawn Fletcher learned last November that Nature’s Best Cafe was at risk of closing, she quickly organized a campaign to support the small business. She initiated a GoFundMe campaign that brought in over $5,000, created promotional magnets, and distributed more than a thousand letters in the neighborhood.

Other community members also contributed. One neighbor offered marketing assistance, while another conducted customer surveys. Despite these efforts, rising food costs proved insurmountable. The cafe announced on social media that it would close its doors on July 31.

We had bingo nights and trivia nights and we’ve done different events, said Evonne Cruz, co-owner of Nature’s Best Cafe. We’ve been catering, but we’re working seven days a week so it’s just not feasible, and also we’re still in the red.

The family-owned business started a decade ago in a strip mall at 1904 Brookdale Road near Route 59. Evonne’s husband, Simitrio, who spent years in the food industry, pursued his dream of opening a restaurant that offered healthy, gluten-free options. His inspiration came from his wife and two children, who have gluten allergies.

The menu expanded over time to appeal to a wider range of customers, offering hand-tossed pizzas, sandwiches, and salads. All dishes were made from scratch, and the cafe prioritized sourcing local ingredients. However, the cost of doing so became burdensome.

Nothing has gone down. If anything, it’s gone up more; the food costs have just been through the roof, Cruz remarked. Basic ingredients like meats and vegetables became prohibitively expensive, with tomatoes at one point being crazy expensive.

Alongside rising costs, foot traffic at the cafe declined despite community efforts to raise awareness. We really worked on beefing up our catering business, which was actually great because that has been paying our bills, Cruz said. What we need is a continuum of steady customers coming in on a regular basis.

Analytics showed a decrease in customer numbers annually. Although the cafe held evening events and increased its social media presence, Cruz identified the economy as a potential factor in declining patronage.

Reflecting on the closing, Cruz expressed mixed emotions. It is sad because it’s a chapter in our family, she said. Our kids all worked at the cafe. They grew up with the neighborhood kids. We watched them get their driver’s license and first jobs and move on to college. She appreciated Simitrio’s hard work and dedication, acknowledging the challenge of moving on.

Fletcher, who supported the cafe through the COVID-19 pandemic, also expressed her feelings. She noted the significance of Simitrio’s role in her daughter’s early work experiences, saying, Every young person should be so lucky as to have a patient and considerate boss as their introduction to the workplace.

Fletcher plans to keep the GoFundMe active to assist Simitrio during this transition.