DU has had to say goodbye to one of the most popular restaurants on University Boulevard this year with the loss of Four Friends Kitchen. Four Friends Southern inspired brunch and lunch fair has been incredibly popular among students and Denver families alike since the University location opened just last year.

The first Four Friends opened in Stapleton in 2015 and was such a success that the owners decided to open a second location on University. But the Kitchen – started by a group of, as the name suggests, four friends – has now closed their University location after just one year due to an extreme staffing shortage. According to an interview with Westword, the restaurant has had great business at both locations but has had much more difficulty keeping the University location staffed with a skilled kitchen staff, something that is necessary for the home-cooked food that Four Friends is known for. In order to adhere to the high standards that Four Friends has in place, owners Kurt and Sarah Pletcher and Genefer and Tim Thornton decided to close the University location rather than settle for less skilled chefs.

The staffing shortage may be indicative of a larger trend in Denver where high wages and low unemployment rates make finding even unskilled labor very difficult to find. Staffing is especially challenging for restaurants who must find chefs, bakers and other skilled workers in an area where there is an incredible boom in new restaurants. Unfortunately, this means that DU loses a beloved and close by diner.

Luckily, students can still find Four Friends Kitchen’s food at their original location in Stapleton, which is open from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. every day.