Liverpool, N.Y. — Cafe at 407, a full-service breakfast and lunch spot that helped support the mission of a local nonprofit serving those with eating disorders, is closing at the end of the year.
The cafe was started in 2009 as way to provide financial assistance to Ophelia’s Place, which offers support, education and other services for women and girls with eating disorders and related issues. The cafe occupies space with Ophelia’s Place in the building the nonprofit owns at at 407 Tulip St. in Liverpool.
In a message to supporters, director Holli Clausen Zehring said the cafe will serve its least meal on Dec. 31.
The decision to close the cafe also signals some other changes for Ophelia’s Place, which was founded by Zehring’s mother, MaryEllen Clausen, in 2002.
Ophelia’s Place is exploring making its operations “virtual” in 2024, Zehring told syracuse.com. That means it’s also looking at selling the building, she said.
“But our mission will definitely continue,” said Zehring, who took over as director last year. “We will continue to host our support groups and do our other work. We’re excited to see what the organization can do in the future.”
Ophelia’s Place operates on a budget of about $300,000 a year, Zehring said. It has three employees, plus about four or five working in the cafe.
The reason for closing the cafe is that it has become increasingly difficult to justify the time and expense it takes to keep it going, Zehring said.
“Cafe at 407 started as a way to help fund the mission of our nonprofit, Ophelia’s Place – bolstering additional fundraising dollars to help sustain core mission services of providing support and resources to individuals and families impacted by eating disorders,” Zehring said in a message and video posted on Instagam. “The hard truth is that operating a restaurant that’s not only able to financially support itself, but to also help fund an additional organization, is a really heavy lift. It has become unsustainable for our small team to manage, while simultaneously trying to grow the impact of our mission-centric services.
“While extremely bittersweet, we know in our hearts that this shift will ensure our team is able to be fully and completely committed to our core mission in the long term.”
Due to the nature of the services Ophelia’s Place provides, its difficult to say exactly how many people take advantage of its programs, but Zehring said she believes “we reach 5,000 or more each year.”
Cafe at 407 serves breakfast and lunch from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday to Sunday. Its menu includes baked goods, soups, bowls and other items featuring seasonal and locally sourced ingredients in keeping with its focus on healthful food and a healthy approach to eating.
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.