After the back-to-back blows of the tornado that damaged both of her Five Points restaurant properties and the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, chef Margot McCormack has made the difficult decision not to reopen Marche Artisan Foods. She will instead concentrate on her flagship Margot Cafe and Bar.
Since opening in 2006, five years after Margot Cafe, Marche has served a menu of breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes graced with European style, plus local and seasonal ingredients as a backbone. Popular with locals from the neighborhood as well as tourists seeking an elevated yet casual morning meal experience, the eatery has been a mainstay of a town that has gone from a bit of a brunch desert to offering a glut of mimosa-fueled experiences.
While McCormack owns the building that her eponymous cafe operates out of, the Marche building was under a lease agreement that expires at the end of this year. After the storm, Marche remained closed a little longer than Margot initially, thanks to more extensive damage and delays in turning the power back on. After a brief stint of trying to start up operations, Margot shuttered Marche to concentrate on carryout business at Margot.
Faced with the fact that trying to operate Marche was looking like a losing proposition for at least the short term until her lease came up for potential renewal, McCormack has made the difficult decision to permanently close the restaurant. “I’m very sentimental when it comes to business and my restaurants,” she explains. “But I’ve realized that it’s got to be about the numbers if you’re going to succeed. This decision feels good; it feels right.”
McCormack intends to bring as many Marche employees under the Margot umbrella as possible and has plans to consolidate the menus of the two restaurants at her flagship property. She is excited about the prospect of adding morning and lunch service to Margot, and to the return of a weekend brunch at Margot after ending Sunday morning service there back in 2018. She does not intend to serve an all-day brunch menu like she did at Marche — at least not for the foreseeable future.
After pivoting to a carryout model for Margot, McCormack has begun to offer dine-in service, although not at the current 75 percent capacity that is allowed under phase two of the Metro COVID-19 reopening plan. “We just can’t seat that many people and still maintain six feet between our tables,” says McCormack. Instead, she is operating the business under a hybrid of carryout, indoor dining and a new sidewalk cafe that fits the vibe of the restaurant very well and has been quite popular so far. “At least until it gets really hot!” jokes McCormack.
In a recent conversation, McCormack shared how much she cares about her patrons. “We really want and need for them to come back, but we’re lucky that our customer base is very mindful and very smart — smart enough to stay home. We miss them and wonder, ‘When are y’all gonna stop making bread?!’ We’re more at the mercy of our guests than we have ever been, and we’re more grateful for them now than ever!”
This may be a sign of what is to come — restaurateurs consolidating businesses and hunkering down with what they know they can do best. While it’s difficult to say goodbye to a spot as beloved as Marche, the fact that the decision was made intelligently and compassionately by a talented chef with the interests of staff and customers in mind is comforting. So give yourself a week off from baking and get over to Margot Cafe to enjoy some of the fantastic breads and pastries that will be making their way up the block from Marche.
