European Connection Cafe & Creperie has closed six restaurants in Utah but vowed it will make a comeback once the economy recovers.
European Connection on Wednesday confirmed it has closed its company-owned locations in the Salt Lake, Provo, Ogden and St. George areas. Four franchise locations remain open — at The Gateway, Jordan Landing, the University of Utah and in the Fort Union area.
Company spokesman Steve Hutchinson defended the European Connection concept, saying there is still interest from prospective franchisees nationwide. The restaurant serves handmade crepes and wraps along with snacks and desserts. It primarily caters to the breakfast and lunch crowds — which took a bite out of the company when the economy hit the skids, Hutchinson said.
"It's the economy that is causing problems, not necessarily the concept," he said. "We have stores that are staying open, and they seem to be connecting just fine with the Utah public. It really has to do with the economic conditions, conditions that everybody is aware of. If you walk down Main Street, you can see it. It's a ghost town."
The company was started by University of Utah business students, who began by selling the French delicacies from vending carts at specialty events in 1999. Today, the company is focused on paring back, Hutchinson said, so it can move forward aggressively once the economy improves.
"The decision was not so much about underperforming stores," he said. "The stores closed because of a financial decision. But it was that these stores could not support the corporate overhead.
"We continue to have tremendous response and interest in the concept, both in Utah and throughout the United States. We're not pursuing those at this time, but the interest is still there. We're just not ready to jump that far that fast. We're hoping to grow from Salt Lake City out."
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