January 29, 2024
Provided Image/Society Hill Films
One year after opening, the Garces Trading Co. cafe inside the Kimmel Center, on South Broad Street, has closed. The cafe's owner and Kimmel Center management said the cafe was not generating enough revenue.
One year after opening, the Garces Trading Co. location at the Kimmel Center has closed.
The cafe from James Beard Award winning chef Jose Garces opened in January 2023. Ideation Hospitality, which owns Garces Trading Co. and for which Garces is the chief culinary officer, said last week that the decision was a mutual one by the Kimmel Center's management and Ideation because the cafe was not generating enough revenue to remain viable for either party.
"Business decisions like this are never easy, but as a local, homegrown business, it has been our privilege to be part of the Kimmel Center," Scott Campanella, chief operating officer at Ideation, said in an email.
The 1,700-square-foot space had a coffee shop, bakery, bar and marketplace and seating for 55 indoors and 20 more outside. The Kimmel Center's Encore Bar, which serves snacks and drinks, will remain open.
The first Garces Trading Co. opened in 2008 at 1111 Locust St. It closed in 2018 after the Garces Group restaurant declared bankruptcy and was bought by Ballard Brands. Garces Trading also has location on the ground floor of the Cira Center in University City that opened in September 2022.
This closure of the Kimmel Center cafe does not effect that location, Campanella said, and he added that new Garces Trading cafes are being planned.
Ideation Hospitality also owns Volvér, the upscale restaurant on the Spruce Street side of the Kimmel Center. Garces told the Inquirer last week he expects that restaurant to close in June, at the conclusion of 2023-2024 season.
Ideation's roster of restaurants include Garces' creations Amada, Buena Onda and Village Whiskey. The company's catering arm, Garces Events, also operates out of the Kimmel Center along with seven other venues.
The Kimmel Cultural Campus and The Philadelphia Orchestra recently rebranded as Ensemble Arts Philly, an umbrella organization that includes shows at the Kimmel Center, the Miller Theater and the Academy of Music.
