First Vegan Restaurant in Fort Collins Raises Money, Reopens After Shutter

Fort Collins’ first all-vegan restaurant reopened Monday, a week after closing its doors due to lack of funds and unforeseen operating costs.

In order to reopen, The Gold Leaf Collective has gained a new business partner and raised more than $6,000, according to owner Taylor Smith.

“I gotta say, that has been one of the most humbling and awe-inspiring experiences I’ve ever had,” Smith says on a video posted to Facebook. “To see the support of our community and all the fans of The Gold Leaf and The Silver Seed, it really warmed our hearts, gave us hope and the vision to see the light at the end of this tunnel."

Unable to keep its doors open, the restaurant closed Sept. 8. It opened in April as the bricks-and-mortar offshoot of four-year-old The Silver Seed food truck.

“The sad reality is that every week for the last nine weeks, we've had a critical piece of equipment need repairing or replacing, and we've simply run out of funds to continue keeping our doors open,” Smith explained of the closing.

His team threw a fundraising block party and launched a GoFundMe “Save The Gold Leaf Collective” campaign following the announcement.

As of Monday, The Gold Leaf will operate a weekday breakfast to-go window, a daily expanded lunch counter, and a weekend dinner option, including rotating tasting-menu specials. Over their first four months, the restaurant's chefs distinguished themselves by showcasing foraged ingredients across seasonally changing menus.

The new lunch and dinner menu includes bowls such as the beet labneh and sandwiches such as tofu banh mi. Hours are 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday for to-go breakfasts, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily for lunch, and 5 to 10 p.m. Thursday through Sunday for dinner.

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