Rooted Craft American Kitchen Closing This Weekend

Rooted debuted on May 19, 2023. Lucy Beaugard

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Less than a year after its debut in the former FNG space at 3490 West 32nd Avenue, Rooted Craft American Kitchen is closing its doors. "The last regular service is Saturday night," says chef and owner Nick Kayser.

"We wanted more of an informal service for the last go," Kayser adds, so the team will bid the business farewell on Sunday, April 28, with a neighborhood party from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. As a last bash, the kitchen will be serving draft beers and well drinks for $5 and several favorites from the menu at Rooted's Boulder outpost inside Avanti, such as burgers, fried chicken sandwiches, fish and chips, and an arugula salad for $15 each.

Rooted announced the news in a social media post on April 25:

It is with heavy hearts that we share this news with you. Since May 15th, 2023, Rooted Craft Kitchen has been our labor of love, our second home, and a dream we poured our hearts and souls into. We aimed to create a warm, family-friendly spot in the heart of West Highlands, an extension of our Boulder location.

Over this time, we’ve celebrated milestones, adapted our menu, and forged deep connections with our neighbors and guests. We’ve grown together, learned from each other, and cherished every moment spent in the West Highlands community.

However, despite our best efforts, we find ourselves at a crossroads. The winds of change have shifted, leaving us no choice but to make the difficult decision to close Rooted Craft Kitchen Highlands. This is not a decision we make lightly, and it’s one that carries a heavy weight of emotion.

Lucy Beaugard

Not long after opening, the restaurant was sued by the Edible Beats restaurant group, which is owned by Justin Cucci and includes Root Down and Vital Root. It called Rooted Craft American Kitchen a "knock-off restaurant," and its complaint alleged that Rooted violated Edible Beats' trademark of "Vital Root," listing several very generic similarities between the two, such as the fact that both are "American restaurants with local ingredients; they have open concept kitchens; their logos use bold serif font and they have plants on the walls."

Edible Beats also claimed that Vital Root, which is in Berkeley, is in the same neighborhood as Rooted, which is one mile away in West Highland. The legal action seemed frivolous to many in the industry, considering how many restaurants in the metro area alone have very similar names, and often similar concepts. But any kind of lawsuit puts a lot of financial strain on a small business.

Kayser is now focused on a new venture, Eat'Ya Pizza, which is set to open on the 16th Street Mall next month. "Rooted Boulder is cruising," he adds, noting that Boulder's busy season is almost here, filled with graduation and summer parties. "And hopefully, there's more to come from us in the future," he concludes.