After serving customers for nearly two decades, beloved New York vegan restaurant Strong Hearts has announced it will close its doors on July 18, leaving longtime customers across Syracuse and Buffalo mourning the loss of a local favorite.
Reddit user N8-OneFive shared a screenshot of Strong Hearts’ announcement on r/Syracuse, in which the owners explained that rising operating costs had made it impossible to continue running the business.
According to Syracuse.com, Strong Hearts was more than just the city’s first vegan restaurant. Many customers saw it as a gathering place and credited it with helping make vegan food more accessible in the area.
New York Strong Hearts Customers Share Favorite Memories
Many longtime customers said Strong Hearts was more than just a place to eat, sharing memories of what the restaurant meant to them. “Such a loss for the city!” one person wrote. “My jaw is still on the ground that they’re closing,” another commented.
“This is so devastating. I don’t eat meat and I have celiac disease and Strong Hearts was one of very few places where I could reliably eat,” another user shared.
Not everyone focused solely on the restaurant itself. In one of the thread’s most upvoted comments, a Redditor blamed the broader economy and the Trump administration for the closure. “Bro, I hate this administration so much,” the user wrote. “The economy is doomed, and small business can’t exist, but hey at least we get more data centers and Amazon warehouses.” Another commenter agreed, writing, “Honestly disgusting fr.“
Whether they blamed politics, the economy, or simply the rising cost of doing business, most commenters agreed on one thing: Syracuse, New York is losing one of its most recognizable local restaurants.
