High Rents Force Butterfunk Kitchen And Sumner's To Close: Owners

WINDSOR TERRACE, BROOKLYN — The beloved Windsor Terrace restaurants Butterfunk Kitchen and Sumner's Luncheonette will close after a goodbye bash on New Years Eve, owners announced.

Butterfunk Kitchen owners posted a farewell notice, which explains that rising rents are to blame for the restaurants closing, on Instagram Sunday.

"Like the laws of nature, things change. The seasons come and go, leaves fall and return, the tides ebb and flow," owners wrote.

"That is simply the way things are. "

Chef Chris Scott and his wife Eugenie Woo opened Butterfunk Kitchen on the corner of Greenwood and Prospect avenues in 2008 in February 2016. The restaurant was named one of the borough's best by Brooklyn Magazine, became the subject of a New York Times photo essay in 2017, and even earned Scott a place on Top Chef.

The restaurant is known for its numerous homages to the chefs' families, including pictures of Woo's great-grandparents in South Korea on the walls, and bottles of house-made hot sauce on every table, to honor Scott's mother and her habit of carrying the condiment in her purse, the New York Times reported.

Scott has cooked for President Barack Obama, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and South African President Nelson Mandela, according to his bio.

Sumner's Luncheonette opened in May to provide the neighborhood with an old-school southern brunch with "that Pennsylvania Dutch twist," according to the eatery's Instagram bio.

There will be two goodbye celebrations, one in each eateries. Sumner's will host a farewell with cake and coffee on Dec. 30 at 3 p.m. and Butterfunk will close out the year with a farewell New Years Eve bash that begins at 8 p.m.

"We'd like to thank everyone who's loved us supported us, gave us a chance, and watched us grow," owners said. "Hoping to see you here."

Patch was not immediately able to reach the restaurant owners for comment.

Photo by Kathleen Culliton