Daytrip, the Oakland restaurant that once dazzled diners with its fermentation-forward menu and equitable payment practices, is set to close its doors next month. As reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, owners Stella Dennig and Finn Stern, a husband-wife duo, cited financial troubles due to the business model they've pursued since 2021. Dennig explained that they were "operating a business model that we just can't get to work" and have been losing money at such a fast rate, especially this year.
The restaurant, known for its standout celery salad and commitment to equity in the industry by implementing a 20% service charge shared evenly among staff, had endeared itself to both patrons and industry professionals, earning a spot on Bon Appetit’s list of the 10 best new restaurants in 2022. However, even with a labor cost expectancy higher than the traditional model, 45% compared to the standard 30%, Daytrip found its numbers hovering between 55%-60% this year, a run-on sentence indicative of the strain in balancing their idealistic vision with practical economics. Daytrip's woes were compounded as the cost of ingredients rose and revenue from July to November this year fell 20% compared to last year.
Local businesses, such as Lion Dance Cafe and Duende, have shuttered this year, reflecting the wider difficulties besieging the Bay Area's restaurant scene. According to Dennig in an SFGATE interview, "The frequency with which regulars come in is more spread out, and that is a product of inflation and prices going up everywhere, and income decreasing, and all of that combined means that it's harder to go out at a place like Daytrip as often."
