The silence is over. After Cafe Lalibela went dark earlier this week with only a “We are closed” sign on its door, chef and founder Atsade Desta (center) has confirmed the Tempe Ethiopian restaurant is closed for good.
‘‘I have started this letter many times and stopped because I could not find the words,’’ Desta wrote in a Facebook letter to customers. ‘‘After 30 years, Cafe Lalibela is permanently closing. I am heartbroken to share this news.’’
The reason is financial.
‘‘Since COVID, we have struggled to keep the restaurant open,’’ she wrote. ‘‘My family, our team, and I gave everything we could, but we can no longer afford to continue.’’
From 9 partners to 1
Desta’s letter also fills in the restaurant’s history. Cafe Lalibela began in Phoenix in 1996 with nine partners, all family and close friends, and moved to Tempe the next year. Desta became sole owner in 2012.
Its reach extended well past University Drive. For more than a decade, Cafe Lalibela’s food was sold at Whole Foods Market stores in Arizona, Nevada, California, and Hawaii, and at Natural Grocers in Arizona.
Tempe declared Aug. 5, 2017, Cafe Lalibela Day.
‘Heroes of Café Lalibela’
Desta saved her highest praise for her staff, some of whom worked beside her for 12 years and others for as many as 27.
‘‘When you felt welcomed here, it was because of them,’’ she wrote.
She also thanked customers, recalling one family who named their daughter Lalibela after the restaurant.
‘‘Closing is painful beyond words,’’ she wrote, adding: ‘‘Please know that serving you has been one of the greatest honors of my life.’’
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