Upscale Boulder restaurant group to close eatery trio

BOULDER — Walnut Restaurant Group, operators of upscale Boulder eateries The Med, Brasserie Ten Ten and Via Perla, will permanently shutter those three locations, according to a message posted Monday to the restaurants’ websites. 

“With the new economic pressures that the hospitality industry is now facing, we simply cannot continue to run and operate our restaurants with the level of quality and service that we are committed to providing, and that our guests have rightly come to expect,” the note from husband and wife ownership duo Joe and Peggy Romano said. 

“We’ve tried since March 16, but still it’s just not feasible,” Peggy Romano told BizWest Monday. “There are just too many expenses to make it work.”

Joe Romano said that while the current restaurant capacity limits set by Gov. Jared Polis make it infeasible to reopen, if the trio of restaurants are eventually able to reopen at near-full capacity, ownership could consider reopening.

“Every restaurant in the state is in the same boat,” he said of the economic challenges inherent with operating at 50% capacity or only offering carry-out options. “It’s just really difficult.”

The Med, located at 1002 Walnut St., and Brasserie Ten Ten at 1011 Walnut St., have been closed since March, while Via Perla at 901 Pearl St. has offered limited carry-out service. 

“There’s no question that COVID is having a demonstrable impact on our small business and restaurant environment — this is just one example of that,” Boulder Chamber CEO John Tayer said. “It is highly unfortunate given that these are dining institutions in our community.”

The Med — the Romanos’ first Boulder restaurant launched in partnership with chef Antonio Laudisio — was founded in 1993. That was followed by Brasserie Ten Ten in 2003 and Via Perla in 2016.

“We feel enormous gratitude in our hearts for the warmth and love that this community has shown us since the very first time we opened the doors to The Med in 1993, and we are honoured by the memories of the wonderful dinner parties we have thrown every night without interruption for the past 27 years,” the Romanos wrote.

Walnut Restaurant Group’s eateries focused on European cuisine, with The Med serving tapas and other Mediterranean selections, Via Perla serving Italian food and Brasserie Ten Ten serving French food. 

“Some of our happiest moments have been spent at the bar on a Friday evening, looking out across a buzzing restaurant, talking to old friends and making new ones, getting to know the people who together form the fabric of this wonderful town,” the Romanos post said. “Today is bittersweet for us, because although it is sad and poignant, it is also a time to celebrate the deep joy and happiness that our restaurants have brought to us, and to you, the people of Boulder.”

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