After five years in business, three semifinalist noms for James Beard’s Best Chef Southeast, and countless noodle bowls later, Josh and Heather Keeler have announced that Two Boroughs Larder is closing its doors July 31.
In a letter to media this morning, the Keelers write of having to choose between quality of life and the toll of restaurant ownership on relationships. Here’s the full letter from the owners:
To everyone who has ever supported our dream:
It is with a heavy heart to write today that my wife Heather and I have decided to close our restaurant. This is one of the hardest decisions we have ever made, second only to the day we opened the restaurant almost five years ago. We did not come to this decision lightly and we are extremely sad to have to close our doors.
We have never believed in doing anything unless you could devote your entire self to it. This thought process is what drove us as small business owners, but could also be our downfall. We also believe that hard work, love, and respect for our coworkers is what helps a small business to succeed, and we feel that we were successful in every aspect of this. We constantly strive to set an example for this industry and have stood by our beliefs, no matter how hard it became at times.
Restaurant work is not easy. Quality of life is something that we talk a lot about in this industry. Devoting so much time to others comes at a cost; most often to yourself and those you love. It takes dedication, thick skin and a sense of humor, but we would struggle to find a more rewarding line of work. However, we are choosing the commitment we made to each other for our happiness and our well-being.
The countless people we have met over these last five years — many we are proud to call friends — have helped shape us to become people we are proud to be. We hope that in some small way we helped many of them the same way they helped us.
It would take a small lifetime to thank everyone individually for all of the love and support we have received. To our customers: we can’t thank you enough for letting us take care of you. We loved welcoming you into our home.
To our employees, both past and present: some of the most dedicated, hardworking people we have had the privilege of knowing. You are family and turned this tiny restaurant into a home. We love you and could never have done this without you.
Thank you to our Charleston hospitality industry for continuing to push us everyday and to all the farmers and producers who so lovingly dedicated their lives to making us successful. And last but not least thank you to our families who taught us both the value of hard work and set such high standards for us to try and live up to.
July 31st will be the last day Two Boroughs Larder is open for business, but Heather and I look forward to the future and everything it holds: new adventures, long walks with Walter and more sleep. Thank you Charleston from the bottom of our hearts. We wouldn’t be here without you and are proud to call this amazing city home.
Josh, Heather + Walter
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