2017 - 2026

Dear Moth Café Community,

As the new year begins, we find ourselves entering what will be our last flight around the sun at The Moth Café. Before anything else, we want to say thank you — for being here, for returning, for making this place feel alive for the past 9 years.

Our planned closing date is the end of November 2026. It’s also possible that we may need to close sooner should our roof become more compromised or if our 30+ year old rooftop heater stops working. When we know more, we promise to share updates openly and with care.

The reason for our closing is tied to plans to revitalize this corner of the city. This is good news, and we truly believe in growth and renewal. It’s only bittersweet because The Moth Cafe happens to sit in the path of that change. This has not been sudden news for us, but something we’ve carried quietly for many years — a weight we learned to hold while continuing to show up each day.

To say it is heart breaking to build a business from scratch with your family and pour all your time, energy, sweat and equity, and then receiving the news that all of this will end in 5-10 years is understatement. It brings with it a full spectrum of emotions. Over the past years, we’ve experienced great joy, pride, grief, resilience, and deep gratitude. These years have been some of the most rewarding of our lives, and also some of the most challenging — especially as we moved through the pandemic and into years marked by economic uncertainty, rising grocery costs, higher rent, and the shared heaviness many of us still feel.

That we are still here today is miraculously because of you.

Your support — whether through frequent visits, kind recommendations, patience, encouragement, or simply choosing us when you could — has mattered deeply. The ripple effects of that care have been felt in ways both seen and unseen, and we hold them with immense respect.

We know how difficult things are right now for many people. We understand that choices around food, dining out, and spending look different than they once did. It’s hard to feel upset about that when we are navigating those same realities ourselves. We see it, we feel it, and we’re moving through it together.

We’re often asked if The Moth will reopen elsewhere. If this were five years ago, our answer may have been more hopeful. Today, we feel more certain that it will not. Financially, starting again would require borrowing and risk that no longer feels sustainable. Just as importantly, The Moth has always been a family restaurant. Our matriarch — the heart and skilled food creative behind so much of what you’ve loved — is entering a season of life where her energy deserves to be redirected gently and with intention.

Rather than quietly counting down the days, we want to mark this final year with gratitude and presence.

Over the coming months, we’ll be creating a Memory Wall in the café — a place for you to share notes, stories, drawings, favourite orders, or small reflections about what The Moth has meant to you. We would be honoured to hold those memories with you.

We also warmly invite you to use any remaining gift cards and loyalty rewards during this time. There is no rush, no pressure — just an open invitation to enjoy what you’ve already been gifted and to share meals with us while we’re still here.

We will have special promotions happening throughout the year. There will be no cook books but we will share some favourite recipes on our social media throughout the years.

Help us make this last year what it has always been at its best: a place to gather, to pause, to eat well, and to feel welcome.

Thank you for flying with us — for a moment, for a season, or for all 10 years. However long you’ve been part of The Moth Café, you are woven into our story.

If you would like to write to us, feel free to email: khu@themothcafe.com.

With deep gratitude and love,

Khu, Thanh, Jill and The Moth Café Family