Weeks after chef Joe Truex announced he was leaving Repast, the restaurant he shares with chef-wife Mihoko Obunai-Truex, the couple have decided to close the Old Fourth Ward gem.
Saturday night marks the final plates served at Repast, which has served Asian-influenced new American cuisine since 2006.
Truex, who took the helm at Watershed in Decatur earlier this month, cited the economic downturn as the reason for the closure. Though the couple had considered moving Repast to Decatur and finding a tenant to replace them, recent business forced their hand, he said.
“The last three weeks have not been very promising for us, and we’re not even into the summer yet which aren’t great months,” Truex said. “What killed us is we’re just a victim of an economy. We’re kind of a high-end and fine dining [restaurant] and that is a hard sell in Atlanta under the best of times.”
The couple debated revamping the menu, but decided against it, he said.
“We were going to try to adapt to the economy, but at the end of the day, this is who we are. I can’t make it a burger place,” he said. “We have too much pride in what we’re doing to water it down.”
Obunai-Truex plans to take the summer off to spend with their two young children and is considering opening a smaller Repast-style restaurant in Decatur this fall or other food-related ventures, her husband said.
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