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‘A bittersweet thing’: The Dogwood in Jamaica Plain will close
The local restaurant will shutter in the new year.
A Jamaica Plain spot known for its wood-fired pizzas and lively bar scene will be serving its last guests after 27 years in business.
The Dogwood, a casual neighborhood spot, will be closing on January 14, according to the restaurant’s website. General manager Sarah Butler said that the Forest Hills haunt faced challenges before COVID hit, but the pandemic amplified those problems.
“It’s been a tough couple of years,” Butler said. “Even before COVID, we used to have parking in the back. Then we had some new construction in the area, and we kind of lost that parking space. That is where we started to see a decline in our business.”
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She added that when COVID hit, “the community was great [to] us, with takeout. We did the best we could with that.” However, Butler said staffing has been a “nightmare” in her attempt to open full time. “It’s just been like climbing out of this hole that we just can’t dig out of,” she said.
“It’s almost worse now than it was during COVID,” Butler said, citing ongoing problems like higher food and liquor costs, as well as the cost of necessities like fuel for distributors.
Butler said they did not want to leave employees without jobs over the holidays, so despite having already sold the space, The Dogwood is currently leasing it for the rest of December and January.
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The Dogwood’s menu features bistro items, such as burgers, pasta dishes, tacos, salads, and a variety of pizzas named after trees that can be found in the Arnold Arboretum. The bar serves craft beer and cocktails. Before the pandemic, live musical guests would perform on Fridays and Saturdays.
Butler said that the restaurant often saw regular visitors who were dedicated to the establishment. She called the closing “a bittersweet thing.”
“We used to have faithful guests that [had] been coming here since we opened,” she said. “We have guests that have their specific chair, in their specific spot, with their specific cocktail, on the night that their server’s going to be here. It’s really tough.”
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