After seven years of serving the Durango community, The Yellow Carrot Restaurant will close its doors for good on Nov. 9.
But this is no end of the line for owner Sari Suzanne Seedorf, who plans to repurpose the restaurant’s location at 3206 Main Ave. into a hub for Yellow Carrot catering and snack services.
In addition to catering, the space will host private parties, allowing Seedorf to maintain a connection with the community that has supported her business.
“It’s bittersweet,” she said, acknowledging the challenges that have led to the decision.
Like many restaurants, The Yellow Carrot has faced a significant decline in customers. Seedorf said dine-in traffic is down 65% this year. Her pivot reflects a broader trend in the industry as dining habits shift.
Since its inception, The Yellow Carrot has garnered a reputation as one of Durango’s premium dining establishments, frequently praised for its presentations.
Seedorf attributes the restaurant’s recent challenges to economic conditions and the inherent difficulties of operating a dining establishment in north Durango.
“We just weren’t producing what I wanted (in terms of profitability),” she said.
Restaurants in north Durango have historically faced greater challenges compared to their downtown counterparts. Chainless Brewing, for instance, opened at 3000 Main Ave. in 2019 but shut its doors abruptly within a year.
Birds, a Peak Food & Beverage chicken-based restaurant, opened at 2957 Main Ave. in 2019 and closed shop in April 2022. Inflation has played a significant role in the recent struggles for the restaurant industry.
Peak Food & Beverage CEO Kris Oyler told The Durango Herald in 2022 that the rising costs of chicken and persistent labor shortages had placed significant strain on restaurants.
During that time, he said chicken wings had almost doubled from $74 a case to $150.
“It’s the end of a restaurant that I loved and adored for years, and we’ve gotten so much recognition,” Seedorf said. “But in the same breath, if it’s not working, you’ve got to do something about it.”
Despite efforts by Seedorf and her team to keep The Yellow Carrot brand in the spotlight – including recognition by America’s Best Restaurants – the challenges have persisted, she said.
Yet, like many business owners, Seedorf has identified alternative revenue streams to help sustain operations.
Over the years, the business owner has steadily diversified the brand, expanding beyond the restaurant to include snack and catering ventures, both of which she plans to further develop moving forward.
The transition, however, will come at a cost for the restaurant’s 10 front-of-house employees, who will not be retained. The back-of-house staff will remain onboard, shifting their focus to snack company manufacturing.
It was a tough decision for the owner to make.
“The people that I have are probably the best on the planet,” Seedorf said. “I have some of the greatest staff in the world.”
With a healthy boost from her television program on QVC, Seedorf is taking off. She said that she sold 30,000 bags of her beet snacks in seven minutes after the program aired.
Market researcher Circana reports that salty snacks experienced significant growth in 2023, with dollar sales rising 25% to reach $2.1 billion.
Though the restaurant is closing, it will have a celebratory dining service on Dec. 31. Seedorf also invites groups of 20 to 30 to reserve the space for private events.
“It’s really sad, because any business you want to have exponential growth and make money,” Seedorf said. “It’s taken everything – literally, I am having to shift gears because it has been such a financial situation and a burden.”
tbrown@durangoherald.com
