The summer doldrums came early for Ken Foy's Dante's restaurant.
"We're used to being broke August and September," he said of his midtown gastropub's annual summer slowdown. "We started getting broke May and June this year."
Foy estimated it costs around $10,000 a month just to open the doors of his restaurant at 2526 E. Grant Road. That covers rent and utilities; the cost of food and manpower adds a whole other level of financial hardship.
When he considered the uncertainty of the city's long-anticipated Grant Road expansion project, which is expected to cut into some of Dante's property, and a planned remodel by the building's owners, Foy decided it was time to close the chapter he opened 13 years ago.
In a late Sunday Facebook post, Foy announced that Dante's, formerly Dante's Fire, will close on July 19, giving diners two weeks to get their fill of the house specialty, escargot in a buttery garlic sauce, and the popular chicken marsala with wild mushrooms and truffle risotto.
Foy is also squeezing in a final Whiskey Dinner on Sunday featuring hard-to-find allocated whiskeys including Stagg Jr., E. H. Taylor and Elmer T. Lee.
"We became really, really known for our whiskey dinners, and as this kind of came out of the blue, we have so much of this high-end allocated whiskey," he said. "We have all this stuff, and we just think it'll be a nice way to kind of get things right with our heart to do one of those memorable meals."
A handful of customers in the afternoon light during happy hour at Dante’s, 2526 E. Grant Road.
In 2013, when Foy opened his restaurant on East Grant Road, his closest neighbor was Kingfisher Bar & Grill, which had 20 years on Dante's. Both restaurants gave Tucsonans a reason to venture to a stretch of East Grant near North Tucson Boulevard that many had long given up on.
By spring 2020, Dante's and Kingfisher anchored a revival of East Grant that included Sam Fox's expansive Culinary Dropout at the former Grant Road Lumber yard and the 12,000-plus-square-foot Grant Modern that has an outpost of the national chain Snooze A.M. Eatery and the Phoenix-born wine cafe Postino.
Months later, Foy and his neighbors were forced to close their dining rooms courtesy of the pandemic. But Foy found a lifeline in his COVID-era food truck Sexy Grilled Cheese and Salads, whose menu he incorporated this spring into Dante's. It was part of a plan to move away from Dante's chef-driven menu and lean into a more casual approach.
Foy said he has mixed emotions about the closing.
"It's saddening, but it's liberating at the same time," he said, adding that he plans to continue Dante's Tucson Catering Company and remain involved with the Gastronomic Union of Tucson, "our community partners and Tucson Originals."
Foy said Tucson Catering Company will continue operating the dining program at Solana Guest Ranch on the far east side, including the ranch's Curated Culinary Tours. Both of those ventures launched this spring.
Dante's is the third reported Tucson restaurant closing since mid-June. Brother John's Beer, Bourbon & BBQ on North Stone Avenue closed June 9; Tucson Tamale Market on North Oracle Road closed June 14.
For information about Sunday's whiskey dinner, call 520-382-9255 or visit the website at dantesfireaz.com.
