Berlin Lunch/Breakfast Café To Close After Opening In Fall 2023

BERLIN, CT— A well-known local café will close this weekend after slightly more than two and a half years in business.

Sadie’s Sunrise Cafe, a locally owned breakfast and lunch restaurant on the Berlin Turnpike, will close permanently on June 21, owner and head chef Andrea Gussak announced this week.

The cafe’s final day of operation is scheduled for Sunday, June 21.

In a social media post, Gussak said the decision was driven by “unforeseen circumstances,” including difficulties with the property's landlord and broader economic conditions.

“It is with a heavy heart that I have to announce the closing of Sadie’s Sunrise Cafe,” Gussak wrote. “Due to unforeseen circumstances, a landlord who will not have a conversation with me and current economic times, we will be closing our doors.”

Located at 196 Berlin Turnpike, the cafe opened in October 2023 and was the realization of a longtime dream for Gussak, who launched the business at age 58 after decades in Connecticut’s food service industry.

Gussak began her culinary career in 1997 at her mother’s business, Margery Gussak Catering, a kosher catering company where she worked alongside her daughters, Hannah and Sage.

After the catering business closed following her mother's retirement in 2018, Gussak became executive chef and general manager at The Crown Market in West Hartford.

It was there that she met fellow manager Jay Dollinger, whom she later described as her best friend.

Dollinger died unexpectedly in 2022 and inspired the creation of the cafe.

Gussak adopted Dollinger’s Great Dane, Sadie, who became the restaurant’s namesake and mascot.

According to the cafe’s website, the restaurant was dedicated to Dollinger and the encouragement he gave Gussak to pursue restaurant ownership.

The business embraced a motto reflecting that journey: “Never give up, never lose faith, and always watch the sunrise.”

Gussak thanked customers and community members for supporting the restaurant during its time in Berlin.

“It has been a great honor to serve all of you and to be a part of this wonderful community, and I will miss all of you tremendously,” she wrote.

“Thank you all for the love and support you have shown us over this past two and a half years.”