Championship Dining to close Porch, Boxcar Hippie
Championship Dining Group has announced it will be closing two of its restaurants — Porch and Boxcar Hippie — later this month.
The last day for both businesses will be September 19.
Porch, known for its signature fried chicken, first opened in 2016 on the upper level of the old train depot, 20 Fourth Street SE. Boxcar Hippie had been operating out of the same building as a “ghost kitchen” since earlier this year. (The basement level of the building previously housed two other concepts — a cocktail bar known as Cellar and a vegan version of Hot Chip.)
In a post to social media on Saturday, co-owners Justin Schoville and Lindsay Zubay said the decision to close the two restaurants was due to the effects of Covid-19 as well as problems finding staff.
“This is a very hard decision for us because we love this restaurant, the historic space, our loyal guests, and especially the wonderful team of people who made this place what it is,” the couple wrote. “To all of you who breathed life into this space, we cannot thank you enough. You put everything you had into trying to make people happier than when they arrived, and for that we are grateful. That’s why we do what we do.”
For the next week, both restaurants will be offering take-out and delivery only. Meantime, the group says it will continue operating its two other restaurants, Hot Chip and Mr. Pizza North, as normal.
Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.
