Alina Eisenhauer, who has been dazzling Worcester with cupcakes and more at Sweet Kitchen & Bar on Shrewsbury Street, has decided with her partners to close the restaurant when the lease expires this month. The last dinner service will be Saturday, July 22 and the last brunch Sunday, July 23.
“This is an end but a new beginning too,” said Eisenhauer. “My partners and I wanted to go in different directions, and I wish them nothing but luck. I love this space. We were successful in it despite the pressures of the restaurant business. I know they will come up with something great and worthy of it just like we did when we moved Sweet here in 2013.”
Eisenhauer, who opened the original Sweet on the opposite end of Shrewsbury Street in 2008, is most disappointed she will not have more time to say goodbye and help her team. When the decision was made, she said, her biggest concern was for others: “No one should worry about me. I’ll be fine. My concern is for my staff, my guests, and the people who have events and orders with us for after we close.”
On those fronts, Eisenhauer has already made giant strides. She is using all her deep connections and relationships in the Worcester food and restaurant community and beyond. All the events and orders are being handled, and she is placing her staff as quickly as she can, “in the right job worthy of his or her talent . . . the best job, not just a job.”
For her customers, Eisenhauer says she would have “loved to take two months for a long celebration including a big farewell party (or two) but the reality is we have two weeks. So we are going to make it fun. We’re going to put everyone’s favorite stuff on the menu. Stuff people have asked for and cupcakes and dishes they request. My staff is amazing. We are going to do all we can!”
Plus, Alina assures us we’ll still be able to have our Sweet cupcakes and eat them too. The women who do the baking for Alina will be taking her recipes to a new location soon, which Alina will make sure to post about on her social media feeds, so keep checking back.
As for Alina? She built Sweet on her reputation and word of mouth, and when she is ready for something new, she won’t be shy about telling us. But for now she sees a silver lining:
“I’m taking a break and spending time with my family, which I haven’t been able to do for 10 years. Working 100 hours a week and regretting not spending time with them? My son is in high school. I’d like to be able to spend time with him and be at all of his games and events while he is still under my roof. I’ll do a little consulting, private events, and work on my YouTube channel and cookbook for now. But then there are so many more options now then when I started in this business, so I am going to take my time and explore them.”