A beloved New American style restaurant in the heart of Willow Glen is closing after being unable to keep up with inflation and rising food costs.
Braise, located on Lincoln Avenue in San Jose, is shutting its doors on Aug. 5, despite soldiering on through COVID lockdowns and the economic downturn during the pandemic. Partner and chef Anthony Jimenez opened the restaurant in 2017, which features a rotating menu, innovative cocktails and the famous peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a twist — an addition of decadent bone marrow.
“It’s always tough,” he told San Jose Spotlight. “I’m not just making the decision for me, I also have staff that’s been good to me. Having to take their livelihood away is hard. That almost feels harder than the closure itself.”
Jimenez said the restaurant’s profit is down 20% from last year. As the cost of rent, milk and meat have risen, he said he couldn’t raise menu prices to match. Doing so would’ve cost him more customers, and the number of people coming in to eat has already declined. It’s a trend Jimenez has seen among other restaurant owners.
DoorDash orders have dropped and people are choosing to eat at home rather than go out. He said when people need to tighten their wallets, restaurants tend to take the hit.
“It’s always a luxury, eating out,” Jimenez said. “The current climate makes it hard to operate. We can do it until it negatively starts impacting the business and that’s the point we are at now.”
Jimenez traces his interest in cooking back to his childhood, when he helped in the kitchen as one of his regular family chores. He’s been cooking for 25 years and spent five years working in kitchens and learning the business before attending the Professional Culinary Institute in Campbell, now known as the French Culinary Institute.
“I was really surprised and shocked,” Brittany Taylor told San Jose Spotlight of Braise’s upcoming closure. “It’s my favorite place on the avenue. The quality is above and beyond, from ingredients to the fusion of the meals. You get craft quality and also the down-to-earth vibe.”
Though Taylor doesn’t eat out much, Braise is her go-to spot on those special occasions. She said she feels at home there and has gotten to know the bartender and Jimenez. With the shuttering of Braise, she said some of the communal and cultural aspects on Lincoln Avenue will be lost.
“I’m going to miss this,” she said.
Jimenez said he will need time to fully process the closure of his restaurant. For the meantime, he’s still running downtown’s Hella Good Burger. His main focus to get through the week before he positions himself for what’s next.
“We’re always juggling ideas, trying to look for the right fit,” Jimenez said.
