BUFFALO, N.Y. — When James Roberts first moved to the City of Buffalo, something was missing. His Louisiana roots had him craving southern comfort food, but he said it was nowhere to be found in the Queen City.
"We didn't have a place to get it in Buffalo, so that's kind of how that started," the Toutant owner said.
Six years later, known for its contemporary comfort food, Toutant has become a popular eatery on Ellicott Street in Buffalo. In 2019, Roberts said business was soaring.
"Second, third and fourth quarters of 2019 were incredible for us … and with theater season, it was just bumping," he said.
However, like many businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the restaurant hard. With months of closure, business at 50% occupancy and currently no indoor dining, Roberts had a tough decision to make.
Friday was their last night serving customers.
"It was truly riding a high, and then now scrambling to see if we'll make it is difficult," Roberts said.
Roberts announced on social media that the restaurant will be taking a break, saying the restaurant hit a breaking point in 2020.
"We just watched it like a hawk, week in and week out, groceries, utilities, rent, expenses, monthly expenses, and then the revenue," Roberts said. "And after you do it monthly or weekly analysis, and they are coming up $3,000 to $4,000 short, it's hard to put your all into something that you know is not going to make your businesses survive."
The restaurant is calling this a see-ya-later in hopes that restrictions will be lifted in the near future. Roberts said he hopes he can welcome his guests back into the restaurant again soon.
"This is not a sob story, this is not a charity case kind of thing," he said. "We are going to fight and claw our way to staying right where we are, downtown Buffalo, because of the people that support us."