“When the pandemic hit, we were never able to recover,” Finkelstein said. “We couldn’t staff the place. Nobody wanted to work.”
Another contributing factor included some area businesses never returning to in-person work after the coronavirus pandemic.
Finkelstein recalled being closed for about six months due to the pandemic. He said when they reopened, they had to close for the winter because of staffing issues. When they reopened again in the spring, those issues continued.
When the restaurant closed its doors, they had six people on payroll, Finkelstein said. Those employees were offered jobs at the Basil’s on Market locations in Beavercreek and Troy.
“We held on for as long as we could hold on for and it’s just not worth it,” Finkelstein said. “We’re completely heartbroken that we had to close.”
He added Basil’s on Market, located near Day Air Ballpark, was one of the first restaurants in that part of downtown.
“All that blood, sweat and tears that went into it for the first four or five years, I will miss that,” Finkelstein said. “I will miss seeing the people that were regulars down there and providing something that wasn’t over on that side.”
Business will continue as usual at the Beavercreek and Troy locations.
“The people who were dining with us downtown please come out and see us in Beavercreek and Troy,” Finkelstein said.
In addition, Finkelstein noted customers can look forward to some menu changes in the fall and an all-you-can-eat Friday night crab special, once prices come back down.
The first Basil’s on Market bistro-style restaurant opened in 2014 in downtown Troy, followed by the downtown Dayton location in 2016. Finkelstein said they opened a restaurant location in Mason in 2018, but it never reopened after the pandemic. Basil’s on Market also has a location at The Mall at Fairfield Commons that opened in 2020.
For more information about Basil’s on Market, visit www.basilsonmarket.com.
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