After 11 years serving crêpes just steps from Yale's campus, Crêpes Choupette has closed its original storefront at 24 Whitney Ave. in New Haven for the last time. Owner Adil Chokairy said he chose not to renew the lease, which was set to expire Sept. 30, 2026, following a disagreement with the landlord that he described as small and one where no one was at fault.
The closure ends more than a decade at the Whitney Avenue address, according to Yale Daily News, which reported that the building was owned by Yale University Properties. Chokairy attributed the lease decision to a disagreement that ended in separation, and he framed the split as amicable rather than adversarial. David DelVecchio, who was then director of real estate asset management for Yale University Properties, said the university was disappointed to see Crêpes Choupette leave the Shops at Yale.
Behind the scenes, the shop had wrestled with physical limitations for years. Crêpes Choupette had difficulty maintaining its HVAC system and lacked proper air conditioning, conditions that at times made the working environment unsuitable and reportedly discouraged some customers from dining in when the heat became too much. The restroom situation posed its own challenges: the bathrooms were not accessible, were shared with neighboring units, and required customers to navigate back hallways to reach them — with employees sometimes accompanying guests to the restroom.
A Send-Off Line Out the Door
Despite the building's shortcomings, New Haven showed up for the shop's final day. The restaurant had a line out the door as regulars came to say goodbye, per the same Yale Daily News account. Among them were Navya Uberoi and Gautham Gopinath, who both first ate at Crêpes Choupette in 2022 and said they were sad to see it close.
Both described the restaurant as one of the best in New Haven. Gopinath said the human touch was what drew him back, and the pair told the outlet they hoped Chokairy would open a new New Haven location before they graduate.
From a Bike Cart to a Connecticut Chain
Chokairy's crêpe business started far humbler than a storefront with HVAC troubles. Born and raised in Paris, he grew up eating his mother's crêpes, according to CT Insider, before he left a career in banking in 2014. He attached a crêpe machine to his bike and began selling crêpes to pedestrians on College Street, a start-up story the New Haven Independent traced back to that bike-propelled cart. Nine months after leaving banking, he opened his first brick-and-mortar store, with New Haven's Yale students and professors among those who supported the opening.
The business kept growing from there. Yale Daily News reported that Chokairy opened a permanent Whitney Avenue location in 2015, then added a Broadway Avenue kiosk on Jan. 16, 2018, as his third New Haven venture and third lease with Yale Properties, aiming to reach students who did not have time to travel to the Whitney Avenue shop. The Westport Journal has described the business as bringing French flavors to Connecticut for more than a decade.
Expansion Beyond New Haven
Crêpes Choupette's footprint eventually stretched well past its New Haven roots. The company opened a Westport location at 43 Church Lane in October 2024, which the Connecticut Post reported at the time was joined by existing crêperies in New Haven and Darien. Yahoo News described Westport as the company's third Connecticut location.
The chain grew again this year. A fourth location opened at 993 Farmington Avenue in West Hartford, in the former Donut Crazy storefront, on Jan. 8, 2026, according to CT Insider's report on the opening. The We-Ha outlet noted that Tony Chokairy, a co-owner of the business alongside his father, Eddie Chokairy, helped mark that location as the company's fourth, following New Haven, Darien and Westport. Crêpes Choupette also has a Darien location currently in operation.
What Comes Next for New Haven
Chokairy said he is grateful for having run the crêperie and is already looking at new units for a return to New Haven, though he has not yet found the right location. He is seeking a storefront with proper working conditions this time, along with one that remains accessible to Yale students and faculty members.
For now, Chokairy says only that he plans to reopen a New Haven storefront in the near future. No site or timeline has been confirmed, leaving devoted customers like Uberoi and Gopinath watching for whatever comes next.
