Donna’s, a staple of Charles Village for 18 years, closed its doors on Sunday. The upscale café on the corner of St. Paul and 31st Streets had been experiencing a dip in business, according to co-owner Alan Hirsch.
“Business is down, the facility needs a lot of money to be renovated, and we just made the decision to close,” Hirsch said.
He explained business was suffering from increased competition.
“[There are] a lot of new stores opening like Chipotle and Potbelly and a lot of other competition from Hampden,” Hirsch said. “We’ve been doing what we’re doing for 18 years, and the newer and fresher guys have an advantage.”
Hirsch and Donna Crivello, co-owner and chef, are far from done with the restaurant business, though. The pair currently own another Donna’s in Cross Keys, which features a different lunch and dinner menu from the Charles Village Donna’s. The Cross Keys location also does not offer brunch, an option for which the Charles Village café was well known.
Hirsch and Crivello are also opening a new restaurant called Cosima, which will offer Sicilian and southern Italian cuisine, in two weeks. The restaurant, which will only serve dinner, is located at Mill No. 1, a development along Falls Road.
Despite these other business ventures, Hirsch said making the decision to close Donna’s was difficult.
“We’ve been a fixture for 18 years. It was hard for us to leave,” Hirsch said. “We’re sad about leaving, but something else will come and St. Paul Street will live on and thrive, I’m sure.”
Sophomore Isabel Randazzo said she is also sorry to see Donna’s go.
“It's sad to lose a local business and there's nothing really as nice that's also in walking distance,” she said.
Randazzo noted, though, that she only dined there occasionally because of the high prices of meals.
“The food was really good there. It was super pricey but was better quality food than any other place in Charles Village, so not crazy for the food you were getting. But definitely not cheap enough to go there everyday,” she said.
Sophomore Tara Blair said the service was also problematic.
“I love their brunch. Their food was really good, except their service and seating was mediocre,” she said.
She looks forward to seeing what takes Donna’s place on the busy block.
Senior Kylie Sharkey discussed her feelings about Donna’s leaving Charles Village.
“Living across the street from Donna’s, I was an almost absurdly avid customer. Over the course of many brunches, lunches, and dinners I came to know not only the menu but also the staff,” Sharkey wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Sharkey learned from the staff members that the staff was given five days’ notice of the establishment’s closing.
“While my friends and I are terribly saddened to lose our favorite hangout spot, these people were blindsided by the loss of their jobs,” Sharkey wrote. “I have nothing but kind sentiments regarding my dining experiences and Donna’s staff. And, of course, we will all miss the mac and cheese.”
Sydney Riemer contributed reporting.
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