Ginna Allen, News Editor
The Blue Chair Cafe, Bakery, and Tavern notified the Sewanee community of their “immediate and hopefully temporary closure until sometime in the 1st Quarter 2026” in a Facebook post on Wednesday, Oct. 15. According to the post, the closure is attributed to a partnership with an “experienced restaurant business partner” that “did not unfold as [they] had hoped, and the decision was made to close the doors by our majority shareholder.”
In an interview with The Sewanee Purple, longtime owner of the Blue Chair, Jimmy Wilson (C ‘73) said the decision was a mutual agreement between him and his partner, and there is no animosity between them. “It was a perfect storm as far as the closure was concerned.” Wilson said.
Wilson said issues with employee turnover were a contributing factor. “Getting qualified, dependable help for a small business is part of the problem on the Mountain,” Wilson told The Sewanee Mountain Messenger. There was a particular issue of short staffing during Family Weekend that led to long waits for food and frustrated parents. As a result, the Blue Chair received multiple poor reviews on Yelp and had to comp numerous meals.
Following this incident, Wilson and his business partner discussed the realities of finding dependable staff and their next steps as a business. “We’ve advertised on Indeed, in The Messenger and on Classifieds for Sewanee, which is an email service for people that live within the domain and a little bit outside of it. I would say we tried it for three more weeks, and we had a few callouts, but the thing was we were also having to use some of [his business partner’s] employees to help us. They were driving 45 minutes from Tullahoma,” Wilson said. “And so it was really just a perfect storm…The main thing that probably broke us down I’d say was the lack of experienced help. I had not had that in 15 years.” Wilson noted his appreciation for student employees and their consistent efforts in work-study positions and regular employment.
Recently, Wilson has also been dealing with a difficult season for his family due to health challenges.. “I wasn’t able to be up and helping [his business partner]…And his business was also having the same issues with help, so it was pulling him both ways. I wasn’t as available as I’d usually be.”
Despite the uncertainty brought on by these events, Wilson was taken aback by the outpouring support from the University, area and alumni community. “We posted on our Facebook page and got over 700 likes, and we got about 130 comments and 45 shares…A lot of those comments were coming from current and former students, they were coming from current and former faculty advisors, and a lot of it was coming from the athletic department. The thing that surprised me the most was coming from parents.” He continued: “The things people were writing moved me so much and I was really humbled by it.”
Looking to the future, Wilson does not see this closure as the end for the Blue Chair. “We’re still going to be here. We’ve owned a home here for 22 years and we’re not going anywhere. We’re alumni, I’ve got two children who are alums, my granddaughters love to come up here, and so we are going to remain a part of this community.” He noted the Blue Chair and Tavern’s motto has long been “Where the Community Gathers.” “We don’t want that to go away…We feel like we are the anchor and the heart and soul.”
During the Blue Chair’s temporary closure, Wilson hopes to revitalize the Blue Chair into something even better. “Our philosophy was if we can’t do it 100%, then we can’t do it right. We were failing in some areas that I just couldn’t take with wait time and quality. So what we are going to do is keep the good and rearrange what we didn’t do so well. I think we’ve got an opportunity to come back bigger and better than we have in the past and be open during our regular hours again,” Wilson said. “Although we’re closed, I hope to use this time to find a new partner, and to reopen certainly some time in the first quarter of 2026. The Blue Chair will survive in some way, shape, form, or measure.”