With Terms of Endearment Closed, It’s the End of an Era for This Brooklyn Vegan Food Empire

Last month, popular vegan bakery Terms of Endearment abruptly shut down. After posting on Instagram in early February that they’d be closed for the weekend, a marshal’s notice from the City of New York posted on their door at 135 Metropolitan Avenue suggested otherwise.

According to online records, the eviction was executed on February 9, and the business’s website was down about a week later, with their Instagram account following after.

While the specific reasons for the eviction are unknown, a marshal’s possession (and eviction in general) often suggests unpaid rent. An unverified source on Reddit suggested that staff members were blindsided by the notice and subsequent closure. Greenpointers‘ attempts to reach out for comments to various parties have not been returned.

Though one business closing in a sea of countless others as of late doesn’t necessarily stand out as unusual, Terms of Endearment in particular was one of the last remaining businesses in a family of local vegan spots. Starting with Boneshakers cafe, then Champs Family Bakery (which became Champs Diner in 2011), the mini vegan empire includes Screamers Pizzeria, Hartbreakers, short-lived Champs outpost and bakery spinoffs, Paradise Taco, and, of course, Terms of Endearment. The ecosystem dedicated to busting vegan food myths through comfort food and baked goods was started by restaurateur Brad Baker with a series of co-owners and executive chefs at each location.

And it certainly hasn’t been an easy run for the Champs Empire — Hartbreakers closed in January after accumulating over 80 health code violations, including evidence of rats, during various visits. Champs closed in January 2023, telling fans “[a]s it goes, there isn’t just one reason, but we are insanely grateful for all the love and support we’ve gotten over the years from every single one of you” on Instagram. Baker, as both an individual and and Champs owner, is currently on the list of New York State’s Top 250 Delinquent Taxpayers for owing $1,938,364.51 to the IRS (he is number 40 on the list, for those curious).

Screamers is currently the only remaining of the aforementioned businesses; though their 620 Manhattan Avenue location closed last Labor Day, plant-based pizza aficionados can still hit up their other location at 685 Franklin Avenue in Crown Heights.

Still, there’s a bright spot on the horizon for vegan fans. Following Champs’ closure, head chef Ro Seward connected with longtime regular customer and Substance Skatepark CEO and founder Andrew Gelles to keep the vegan dream alive, ultimately coming together as co-owners to rebrand and reopen as Ro’s Diner.

“The most important thing to change, for me, was employee ownership and transparency, and no egos,” Gelles explained. “Shout out to the staff for putting up with me not having ever worked in a restaurant.”

At its heart, the goal is still to be a community diner providing solid vegan comfort food, which Gelles confirms is due to “letting the experts do their thing,” which includes experienced vegan pastry chef Makenna Hale and passionate former Champs staffers.

The Terms of Endearment space is now for lease as a turn-key operation from Baseline Real Estate.

Aside from Ro’s, other vegan and vegetarian spots in the neighborhood include The Butcher’s Daughter, Ethiopian restaurant Bunna Cafe, Jungle Cafe, PLANTA, Jajaja Mexicana, Cuffie Ridge, Modern Love, Wild Ginger, and Dun-Well Donuts.