As we reach the end of foliage season, we have taken stock of our team here and come to a hard conclusion: we’re taking a break.

This Sunday will be our last day of service in Stowe through the winter. We have been patching together a team for far too long now, with a ‘help wanted’ ad up non-stop through winter, mud, summer, foliage and now stick season. In order to maintain our standards, our Regional Manager has been a full time line cook here in Stowe for months. I have personally cooked alone and alongside him and others at least 20 days this year just to keep the restaurant open. We’ve trained more people into their first foodservice job than I’d like to admit. And too many of our employees travel from far too far away to be sustainable, especially with the traffic getting in and out of town.

Our location here in Stowe is a sweet set up. We own and love the space. It is one of our favorite build-outs. The kitchen has all the resources it needs. The dining room is cozy and flows particularly well. When we’re staffed and the room is full, the vibes are great. But too often, we’re working with less folks on the team than we should have. And far too often, our employees are scrambling to keep up, creating a lot of hardship and stress. It ain’t right.

There is an affordable housing crisis and an associated labor shortage in Vermont. With locations in 4 counties across the State, my experience is that this problem is worse in Stowe than anywhere else. I encourage town planners, community members and stakeholders to dig deep in addressing this issue in a long term and meaningful way. If we want people to work and play in Stowe, we need places for people to live in Stowe. This is a problem that can be solved. 

And in full admission: so is our ability to staff our restaurant. With the right leadership, even in this town, stable teams do exist. My hats off to my friends in food in Stowe that have succeeded in maintaining a strong team. We’d love to join you. In order to get there, we need a reset. So we’re going to take a step back and reassess how we approach staffing in Stowe with an eye towards re-opening next summer. We will also be exploring other options including reconfiguring how we use the space, collaborating with some of our friends in food or possibly leasing or selling the restaurant. It’s a beautiful space. If you’ve got a bright idea, let’s talk! 

I’d like to send a big and serious thank you to the team that will be helping us close it out this weekend: Bill, Jo, Shawn, Paul, Aiden, Kate, Izzy, Jonny, Hannah: thank you for carrying us through foliage and seeing it right to the end reliably. 

To the Stowe community: thank you for welcoming and supporting The Skinny Pancake over the past decade since we opened up at the mountain. I hope we get to write another chapter together professionally. Personally, I’ll be around town dropping off my kiddo at SES, skiing up at the mountain this winter and on from there. Hope to see you around. 

-Benjy Adler
Founder / Owner