Compass Run, James and Connie Roberts’ other restaurant, will close its doors at 500 Seneca St. after service June 10.
Toutant, their flagship restaurant at 437 Ellicott St., will sail on but the Roberts have decided to scale back their efforts to focus on one restaurant, so they also have time for their kids.
“It’s not a sad story – except for the customers who love Compass Run,” James Roberts said.
The Louisiana-focused restaurant opened a year ago, replacing Dobutsu, the Pacific Rim-influenced eatery the Roberts opened in the Seneca Street space in 2018.
“I can’t complain about the support we got at Compass Run,” Roberts said. In the end, splitting his focus between two restaurants stretched him too thin, he said.
Gift cards can be converted to Toutant cards, or spent at Compass Run through June 10, he said. Toutant is due to get a refresh, Roberts said, with lighter cuisine options for the menu and a fine-tuning of kitchen systems.
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Compass Run’s departure will turn into an opportunity for another restaurant-in-waiting to get into 500 Seneca St., with a helping hand from the Robertses.
In the meantime, the couple will be talking to restaurateurs about taking over the 500 Seneca St. space as a turnkey operation.
“We have some tools to offer a tenant long term that a solo operator wouldn’t have on their own.
“We did it the hard way,” he said. “It’s not like everyone else has to.”
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Andrew Galarneau
Food editor
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