The Clover chain of restaurants is in its final hours, having failed to find a buyer, according to an email to customers. It means the closing of 11 restaurants and layoffs of around 180 employees at the end of business Thursday.
“We’re deeply saddened to share this news – for our employees, New England farmers, and you, our guests and supporters,” restaurant managers said in the email.
The chain, founded locally by MIT and Harvard grad Ayr Muir in 2008 as a food truck, had 15 locations when it sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection two years ago and 13 when it emerged. New chief executive Julia Wrin Piper said she hoped to be serving vegetarian foods to nonvegetarians at 60 locations within five years.
The end was signaled March 29 with a layoff filing under the state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.
The current 11 locations include five in Cambridge: Central Square, Harvard Square and another inside the Harvard Science Center, Kendall Square and East Cambridge, in the Eastern Edge food hall. A location at Assembly Square in Somerville closed in the first bankruptcy. The company also caters and sells kits for at-home meal prep.
A worker at the food hall location said Thursday that “hail mary” ideas were being thrown around for a last-minute save of the company. But workers weren’t expecting anything except that on Friday they would be “looking for a job.”
New England Hong Kong Festival
The third annual free New England Hong Kong Festival runs 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Seven Hills Park, Davis Square. (Forecasts show a 95 percent chance of rain for the day, with a peak as the festival gets started that tapers down to a 20 percent chance by its end. The festival has a rain date Sunday.) Update on May 29, 2026: The event has been moved to Sunday.
Food, gifts and activities are offered by 40 local vendors, artists and community groups, including band performances, martial artists and cultural performers; games and other family-friendly activities; and photo ops, including a minibus cutout board, Hong Kong bus stop stands and stamp stations inspired by Hong Kong public transit. The event takes place during Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Month.
Jersey Mike’s opens in Somerville
The Jersey Mike’s sub chain is seeing in its second week at 365 Revolution Drive, Assembly Square, less than six months after one opened in Cambridge’s Central Square. As approved by the Licensing Commission in March, the Somerville location has 18 seats and is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. under different ownership than the Cambridge location. The first Jersey Mike’s opened in 1956; now it’s a fast-casual chain numbering more than 4,000, all baking their own bread in store and using meats, cheeses and vegetables claimed to be better and fresher than at the competition. (The chain’s other defining characteristic: “the juice,” a blend of red wine vinegar and olive oil that is splashed onto the subs.)
Puritan & Co. clambakes return
Inflation, you know? Chef Will Gilson’s summer clambakes on the Puritan & Co. patio (1166 Cambridge St.) begin at 6 p.m. June 28 – the others are at the same time July 26 and Aug. 23 – for $104 per person, including two drinks. Last year these seatings cost $85, making for a 23 percent increase as prices rise across the board. Still, these Inman Square meals served at communal tables will be irresistible for some: At a restaurant rooted in New England tradition, the clambake includes appetizers of stuffies, a Caesar with white anchovy, watermelon with chili-lime salt and clam chowder; mains of lobsters, shrimp, mussels, clams, corn, potatoes, linguica and drawn butter; and a chef’s-choice dessert.
J.P. Licks ice creams for June
Ice cream seller J.P. Licks, which has locations in Harvard Square, Davis Square and Assembly Row, is getting in on the summer’s World Cup action with seven “World Futbol Flavors” inspired by countries playing the tournament’s Boston-area matches. They include Oatmeal Whiskey & Honey for Scotland, with the flavors of its traditional dessert of Cranachan; Caramel Beurre Salé for France, playing off a confectionary with butter, brown sugar, salt and a caramel ripple; Cardamom Strawberry Swirl for Norway; Sticky Toffee Pudding for England, a mix of dates, molasses, butter and brown sugar with a caramel ripple; Akasan for Haiti, tasting like the drink with corn ice cream, cinnamon and anise; Pineapple Coconut Sherbet for Ghana, the largest producer of pineapples in Africa; and Moroccan Mint Tea Sorbet, a sweeter taste inspired by the national beverage.
Darling hosts L.A. bar takeover
Darling, a Chinese-inspired cocktail bar in Cambridge in the former Mary Chung’s space, hosts a one-night bar takeover at 7 p.m. Wednesday by Los Angeles cocktail bar Thunderbolt. The West Coast team has four speciality cocktails at $17 each that include the Round Trip, with cacao-infused Elijah Craig bourbon, Pierre Ferrand 1840, Madeira, banana and almond bitters; Echo Park Trash Can #3, with Vago Manantial mezcal, clarified green apple cordial, apple-miso distillate and pecan; Isle of Negroni, with Citadelle gin, Planteray 3 Star rum, Campari, assorted tropical fruits, Manzanilla and orange oil; and La Frutera #4, featuring Lime Leaf Tequila Ocho, watermelon, sunflower seed, coriander and lime. Reservations are available for the first hour, then switches to walk-ins until the night is sold out.
Send your (news) tips about menu changes and other items affecting Cambridge and Somerville food and restaurant to editor@csindie.com.
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