A few days after announcing its permanent closure on Oct. 20, Sylvan Supply izakaya and sushi restaurant Punk Wok reversed course.
In an Instagram video posted on Oct. 23, chef and founder Clay Greenberg said that after almost five years in business, he and his staff were "resigned" to shuttering the establishment.
But Greenberg said funding from a partner and a last-minute offer from the landlord gave the restaurant a path to stay open.
"By the end of (Oct. 22), the landlord says, 'We will do anything to keep you, anything. What will it take?'" Greenberg said in the video. "So … they sent us a proposal that will keep this place open."
The last-minute reprieve comes amid a wave of Nashville restaurant closures this year. Decade-old Deacon's New
South will serve its final customers Oct. 24, while Joyland, the burger concept founded by Sean Brock, closed both Nashville locations in July, including the restaurant next door to Punk Wok.
"A lot of them have been my friend's restaurants, and they've been in here to help and support us over a long time," Greenberg said in the video.
Declining sales have strained Punk Wok, and Greenberg said the financial support is only one part of the equation. The restaurant will also need more customers to stay in business.
"When we have lunches that are $130 a day and dinners that are $400 or $500 a day, we can't keep the doors open," Greenberg said in the video.
Rising costs have put pressure on Greenberg and other restaurateurs in recent years. Operating expenses for restaurants have jumped by 36% since 2019, according to estimates from the National Restaurant Association.
For Greenberg, who opened Punk Wok during the pandemic, the goal of his venture isn't about making money. It's about feeding his neighbors.
"I never got into this business to get rich. I drive a 12-year-old car with dents in it. It's got 150,000 miles on it," Greenberg said in the video. "I just want to make a living cooking food for people I care about ... I hope you'll bring some friends in and show them what we have."
Punk Wok will reopen on Oct. 29, following a short break.
"I need to get a couple days' sleep," Greenberg said in the video.
'It's just a Band-aid'
Several employees left before the last-minute reprieve was confirmed, Greenberg said. He doesn't blame them for leaving, and even now, he still faces uncertainty.
"At the end of the day, it's just a Band-Aid," Greenberg told The Tennessean. "If people don't come and support local restaurants, we're going to end up just like the other ones."
He couldn't talk for long as the hustle of the kitchen roared on. In the time he had, he spoke warmly about the support he had received from patrons and fans of Punk Wok. After sleepless nights, just when Greenberg thought he'd reached the end, the community rallied around him.
"People have come out like crazy. I've never seen so many people email and phone call me (to say) they're so sorry," Greenberg said. "I can't tell you how defeated I was a week ago, and then coming to the decision that (I) just can't do it anymore ... It's 5:30 in the morning, and I say to my wife: 'I think today is the day. I'm just going to call it. There's nothing to do.'"
For the owner, running a restaurant is a game of getting guests in seats. If you don't have enough, it's curtains.
"Whatever you do to get people to come just isn't working anymore," Greenberg said. "I'm grateful they come at all, but it just comes down to numbers. You either got enough or you don't."
Punk Wok is at Sylvan Supply, 4101 Charlotte Ave suite G-20.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Punk Wok reverses closing plans after last-minute deal with landlord
