Longmont's Sun Rose Cafe closing, 'to end on a high note'

After nine years in downtown Longmont, owner Steven Carlson said that Sun Rose Cafe is going out on a high note.

Wednesday will be the last day for the popular breakfast and lunch spot.

Carlson said he and his wife and co-owner, Susan, aren't closing the cafe for any negative reason. In fact, Sun Rose's business bounced back with force in 2018 after construction and repaving work on downtown Main Street snarled the thoroughfare in 2017.

"There's nothing wrong. This is really a positive life change. It's just time to look for something else," Carlson said.

He added that the couple will be empty nesters soon as their youngest son considers his options for college.

"It's time for us to re-familiarize ourselves with each other," Carlson said. "The restaurant business takes a lot of time and energy. It's six days a week here and so we just wanted to decide how we're going forward. We wanted to end on a high note and on our own terms."

Carlson said that he plans to take some time off to relax and regroup, then will pursue one of a number of opportunities that he's been offered. Susan Carlson helped open the business nine years ago, but five years ago returned to her work as a controller for an engineering firm. Steven Carlson said that in no way does he think he'll be retiring.

"I'll stay in some capacity in food service after I take four to six weeks to regroup," he said. "I've been in food service my entire life, a little over 36 years."

Carlson made his last two deliveries with Sun Rose's catering business on Tuesday. Anyone craving Sun Rose Cafe's food should make a point to come out on Wednesday, but don't expect a giant going-away party.

"It will be business as usual; just a normal business day. We've been saying goodbye to a lot of people this past week," Carlson said. "At 3 o'clock, we'll lock up and the leftover food will be donated. We'll do a really deep clean of the space on Thursday with some staff and that'll be it."

"The restaurant business takes a lot of time and energy. It's six days a week here and so we just wanted to decide how we're going forward," owner Steven Carlson said of closing the Sun Rose Cafe. (Matthew Jonas / Staff Photographer)

Carlson said that he and his wife own the building but are under contract to sell it. He declined to name the possible new owner, but did say all the furniture and restaurant supplies in Sun Rose are part of the sale.

As for the cafe's 12 employees, Carlson said that most of them have already found other jobs and the ones who stay through Thursday will receive bonuses.

Alli Goettling, who lives in Firestone, has been serving and managing at Sun Rose for two years. When Carlson first told the staff that the restaurant would be closing, she was devastated.

"I was so sad, I cried probably for a good day," she said. "But then he said it was for a good reason and he was going to do what he always said he would do, which is spend time with his family, and I was really happy for him."

Goettling said that she would be emulating Carlson and taking some time for herself before starting a new job, but the community of staff and customers have been supportive and offering her references.

Carlson "always said he would take care of us at the end, and he has," she said.

Carlson said that two of the things he and Susan are most proud of in the restaurant's nine-year run is that they have been able to donate to education and artistic charities.

"We always had local artists' work here," he said, indicating the now-empty brick wall in the cafe. The back wall was covered with artwork from Longmont Christian School that students made from repurposed school desktops.

"It's neat that we got to kind of tie those two purposes together for the last art on display," Carlson said.

Marilyn Williams, of Longmont, said that she has been a Sun Rose Cafe customer since it opened and was sad to see it go.

"They have the best omelettes in town and they have really good sandwiches," she said. "When we came in today, I was shocked to see it would be closing."

Karen Antonacci: 303-684-5226, antonaccik@times-call.com or twitter.com/ktonacci