When the upscale restaurant Trapeze opened in Fulton in 2005, critics hailed it as a "playful and sophisticated retreat," a place whose "soaring space" and flavorful fare could turn a quick detour off U.S. 29 into a memorable dining experience.
After three years, the retreat is no more. The first business to open in the Maple Lawn development in southern Howard County, Trapeze has shut its doors, an apparent victim of the recent economic downturn across the nation and the world.
"We deeply regret that [the] economic conditions that persist throughout the country forced us to close," owner Alexias Sharoky said in a statement released last week, "and we are also saddened by the loss of jobs to our great staff, many of whom have been with us through thick and thin."
Management broke the news to restaurant workers late last Saturday. The place was closed for business by Sunday night.
The decision reflected less a lack of quality in Trapeze and more the broader struggles of the dining-out industry during rough economic times, said Richard W. Story, chief of the Howard County Economic Development Authority.
"We haven't done a scientific study of it yet, but I don't think restaurants are doing well anywhere in this economy," he said. "Profit margins are razor-thin. When people lose their pensions on Wall Street, the consumer confidence you need is not there."
That is as true in Howard County as anywhere else, at least according to anecdotal evidence. In 2008 alone, Lone Star Steakhouse and Rocky Run Grill, once-popular Columbia establishments, were among those that closed.
"I dine out numerous times a week, for breakfast, lunch and dinner," said Story, who called himself a big fan of Trapeze's "casual upscale" cuisine. "I wouldn't use the sentence 'restaurants are hurting,' but in many places I go, where the lines are normally long, you can get a table right away."
Surprisingly, some figures show growth in the industry in Maryland, said Paul Hartgen, president of the Columbia-based Restaurant Association of Maryland. The state's comptroller reported a $200 million increase in total sales between last fall and this fall, he said - a result, perhaps, of special measures some restaurateurs took 12 to 18 months ago when they saw "dark clouds on the horizon." Some have saved money by offering smaller portions, others by creating drink specials or reconceptualized menus.
