It's a sad day for vegans: Bragg's Factory Diner announces its doors will be closing this weekend

To the disappointment of its herbivore patrons, Bragg's Factory Diner, one of the most charming vegan restaurants in downtown Phoenix, is closing its doors after Sunday, Oct. 4.  

Co-owner Emily Spetrino said she knew that it would be a challenge to open up a restaurant with such a niche market.  

"It was a really big risk opening up a vegan/vegetarian place on Grand Avenue," she said. "We knew that our idea and concept was eclectic and fun enough to be in this neighborhood. But (starting a restaurant here) was an uphill battle from the beginning."

Few restaurants were located on Grand when Bragg's opened two and a half years ago. Spetrino said when Braggs opened, she and her co-owners Liam Murtagh and Dana Stern struggled to attract a large customer base. That is one of the reasons Bragg's is closing next week.

The customers it did have were very loyal. In a city with limited vegan breakfast options, Bragg's appealed to many, with a 4.5 rating and widespread praise on Yelp. It also advertised proximity to First Fridays' art walk, Crescent Ballroom, The Trunk Space, Chase Field, US Airways Center and the Phoenix Art Museum. Unfortunately, its central location wasn't enough to draw large crowds.

Good Morning! It's with a very heavy heart that we announce that Sunday, October 4th will be the last day Bragg's Factory Diner will be open for business. We'd never be able to properly express our love for all of the support, encouragement, friendships and fun we have experienced with every single one of our customers, neighbors, and employees here over the last couple years. Phoenix is a very special city, and Grand Avenue is a very special street, and we tried to show them both as much love as possible in every pancake we flipped or slice of pie we served. Thanks for the memories and we hope to serve you all once more before we go. Love always, Bragg's

A photo posted by Bragg's Factory Diner (@braggsfactorydiner) on Sep 28, 2015 at 10:28am PDT

Former employee and long-term customer Christopher Martinez said he is disappointed that the restaurant is closing.

"A few places serve vegan food, but they have fake, processed products," he said. "I really like that everything here is made in-house as much as possible without using fake meat."

First-time patron Florence Bruemmer was also downhearted about the restaurant's closing.  

"I came here because it was named the Best Vegetarian Restaurant of 2014 in the Phoenix New Times," she said.  "You can find a lot of vegan lunch places, but breakfast is more difficult.  When you're vegetarian or vegan, you can't eat in a diner anymore, so the atmosphere seemed really fun. I'm so bummed!"

As one door closes, another opens. Braggs' co-owner Murtagh has just opened a new vegan/vegetarian restaurant The Coronado on Seventh Street.

"The concept is essentially to bring a little neighborhood haunt to the Coronado neighborhood," Spetrino said. 

The Coronado will feature a small southwest-inspired vegetarian and vegan menu, plus liquor and espresso bars. Their hope is to create a casual environment similar to Lux or the Phoenix Public Market.

Although this is Braggs' last week in operation, Spetrino is grateful for the experience.

"We can't thank our customers, our friends, and everyone who's supported this business enough," Spetrino said. "It's been two of the hardest and best years of our lives, and we really hope we can continue serving our same customer base, meet new friends, and have our old friends back in our lives."

Related Link:

5 restaurants near all four ASU campuses for vegan, vegetarian Sun Devils

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Reach the reporter at skylar.mason@asu.edu or follow @skylarmason42 on Twitter.

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