Fairfield-Based Vegan Cafe The Stand To Close

FAIRFIELD, CT — The Stand Vegan Cafe, the Fairfield-based restaurant in the Sportsplex development, will close on Aug. 27, a victim of rising costs since the pandemic, according to owner "Chef Jenna" McPartland.

McPartland bought the former juice bar that was in the location in 2019, and expanded it into a restaurant.

She told Patch that The Stand remains popular, but expenses have become "insane."

"That's the really sad thing, business is good," McPartland said. "People have a misconception about what it costs to run a restaurant. We're expected to compete with the McDonald's and Chipotles of the world, but that's unreasonable."

She added, "It particularly hurts when you have billionaires and companies not paying any taxes, because small businesses, the backbone of America, is going to get crushed."

McPartland said that she hopes to reopen The Stand in the future, but currently does not have a location lined up. She is looking in Fairfield, Westport, Norwalk, Bethel, Black Rock and Shelton, but she would also appreciate any tips on potential locations.

"Ideally, I'd like to find an up-and-coming neighborhood, a place where I can, hopefully, control costs and still have good exposure," she told Patch.

Before and after the physical location closes, McPartland is continuing to offer catering and juice cleansing; customers can email her at jenna@thestandvegancafe.com for more information.

In the meantime, McPartland said she hopes people keep the business and her 22 employees in their thoughts.

"I would love for people to continue to support vegan shops and small businesses, and be kind to service workers," she said.