Bussiness
Papa Woody’s is closing, citing small business struggles in Christmas Eve post
Papa Woody’s Wood Fired Pizza, a pizzeria in downtown Sioux Falls, is closing its doors after eight years, according to a Christmas Eve post on its Facebook page.
The announcement states the decision “wasn’t made lightly.” An official closure date was not listed.
The Argus Leader has reached out to Papa Woody’s for comment and a closing date, but as of Tuesday evening, has not heard back.
The reason for the closure, according to the post, is not enough foot traffic or funds to continue.
“After fighting as hard as possible to weather this impossible storm we are all in as small business owners, we have no choice but to close our doors,” the post states.
According to the Facebook post, the owners, Lisa Esser and Steve Blumke, “used every dollar of their own money” to keep their doors open, but had “nothing left to give.”
“It would take an absolute Christmas Miracle for us to be able to keep going,” the post states.
The post also acknowledges how difficult this is for Papa Woody’s employees, saying, “They are all finding out on Christmas that they no longer have a ‘work family.’” Many of those employees, it says, have been with the business since opening in the Cascade Building at 775 N. Phillips Ave. in 2022 on Valentine’s Day.
Papa Woody’s is listed as one of this year’s Burger Battle participants with their Triple Crown Burger, a half-pound beef and brisket patty on a brioche bun with fig jam, creamy goat cheese, baby arugula and hot honey drizzle.
Papa Woody’s was the 2021 Burger Battle Champion, the first year the business participated, with their Uptowner Burger.
The restaurant began as a food truck in 2016, opening as a restaurant in the spring of 2019 at 421 N. Phillips Ave. inside the Jones421 Building. Papa Woody’s made the move to their current, much larger space in February 2022.
Last year, Papa Woody’s began serving Sunday brunch from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. In August, the restaurant posted on Facebook about the struggles of small businesses and how they felt “every bit of this ourselves.”
“I don’t know if I will even know how to keep putting one foot in front of the other through this impossible situation, so please bear with us as we try to navigate all of this,” the owners posted on social media. “Tough times don’t last, tough people do…and we have not gone down without a fight.”
This story is developing. Check back for more.
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