The difficult decision to close the Blue Chair Café, Bakery and Tavern came on Oct. 12. The majority partner in the business called the minority partner, Jimmy Wilson, to tell him the news. “He said, ‘I can’t get anyone to work, and I am shutting it down,’” Wilson said. The employees were notified on Oct. 13.

Wilson said the business decision to close was amicable and there is no animosity.

Wilson said last November, he welcomed a new partner who is an experienced restaurant business owner with the hope of taking the Village Tavern to new heights. “We started fixing stuff and renovating the Tavern side. Plus, we got a wine and liquor license and added new options to the Tavern menu.”

“What we lost sight of was, while we were focused on the Tavern, we forgot where we originated from — the culture at the Blue Chair Café, where the community gathers. We lost some of our vibe,” said Wilson.

Wilson said the writing was on the wall as they had some employee turnover. “Some people were driving 45 minutes to get to work. And it was hard to compete with other salaries offered by other restaurants and establishments. Getting qualified, dependable help for a small business is part of the problem on the mountain,” Wilson said.

Another hurdle was “Monday through Friday, we didn’t make enough money to pay our staff,” said Wilson. Offering daily breakfast was the first to go, followed by closing on Mondays. Lunch was next, only being offered on certain days.

Then, a disastrous service during Family Weekend where they were short on staff turned out to be the final nail, based on the Yelp reviews and the amount of comped meals they had to do because of the one-hour-plus-more wait-time to get food. Wilson said they were all embarrassed by that.

Wilson said since the announcement to the public of the temporary closing, the feedback has been positive. “I am humbled by that, the community’s outpouring of support for my wife and I, and for the staff of the Blue Chair,” said Wilson.

Since Oct. 13, Wilson said he has been getting inquiries to help get the Blue Chair back open. Wilson said they hope to be back open by the first quarter of 2026, after renovating the café side.

“Everyone who I have talked with is focusing on getting the right kind of culture and the vibe back on the café side. We are known as a café, bakery and bar. We are going to replace our majority shareholder with someone who understands this, and that we are a little clearer about what we want to do with the café side. Sarah and I are not ready to sell the whole thing. But we do not want to be the full-time operators either. We hope that the new partner would want our advice and presence. We are going to have a comeback and are confident that we can do that,” Wilson said.

Wilson, C’73, and his wife, Sarah, C’89, have owned the Blue Chair since 2010, buying it from Susan Binkley when her responsibilities at the nonprofit Blue Monarch took up all of her time. Binkley opened the Blue Chair Bakery and Café in 2000. Wilson was on the Blue Monarch board and saw an opportunity to get more involved in Sewanee. In 2012, the Wilsons purchased the adjacent building and created the Tavern with its connecting staircase to the Blue Chair’s Café. See more about the history of the building at <https://omeka.sewanee.edu/exhi...;. — reported by K.G. Beavers