CINCINNATI — The Sleepy Bee Cafe in College Hill will be closing for good Sunday.
The location in the 5900 block of Hamilton Avenue has been around for only 20 months, opening on Aug 21, 2022. It's the first time Sleepy Bee has had to close a restaurant since it opened its flagship location in Oakley in 2013.
“It is with sadness and many fond memories that we say goodbye to the College Hill community, who welcomed us warmly and with open arms,” the Founder of Sleepy Bee, Sandy Gross said in a press release. “We have enjoyed every minute spent as part of this vibrant community and are proud to have contributed to the revitalization efforts of its main business district.”
“Despite the hurdles of the pandemic, which dramatically affected and altered operations across our entire portfolio, we rebounded and then pivoted to preparing for post-pandemic opportunities, including that of College Hill,” Gross said.
The restaurant did not provide a reason for the closing in its press release, but did link to a Cincinnati Business Courier article on its Facebook page, in which they cited an insufficient amount of morning and early afternoon customer traffic. Adding a dinner service was not enough to keep the restaurant going.
Sleepy Bee emphasizes locally sourced ingredients and offers a healthy menu. The College Hill location was also the first with a gas-free kitchen.
The release said the cafe welcomed engagement from the community and partnership.
The cafe also established a relationship with Aiken High School. The cafe collected food scraps that were composted at the school's agricultural program, the release said.
The General Manager, Julie Sunderland, also created the Inclusive Cafe, a "10-week immersive work experience" meant to work with the Project Life Program at the high school — students rotate through different industries for a few hours each week to gain relevant work experience.
"Community partnerships are an essential part of our business and something we will continue to pursue," Gross said. “With each Bee, we learn about how to engage and be part of the community in a deeper and richer way.”
The cafe plans to move most of its 22 employees from the College Hill location into other roles in the company.
Sleepy Bee has three other locations that will remain open:
- Oakley, 3098 Madison Rd, Cincinnati, OH 45209 | opened in December 2013
- Blue Ash, 9514 Kenwood Rd, Blue Ash, OH 45242 | opened in August 2015
- Downtown, 8 E 4th St, Cincinnati, OH 45202 | opened in January 2018
The downtown location was closed for six weeks for floor repairs but reopened in March. The release said the Blue Ash location will receive a patio upgrade and the cafe in Oakley will get an "all-electric cooking line."
“We are very fond of our guests and hope everyone stops in for a bite and a final farewell to our amazing staff,” Gross said. “We will always have a page in the redevelopment chapter of College Hill and are eager to continue our focus on making our Oakley, Blue Ash, and Downtown Sleepy Bee locations vibrant hubs for their communities, and look forward to welcoming College Hill guests at these locations.”
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