This article has been edited and updated since it first appeared online.
Chef and restaurateur Mike Ledesma inside Perch (Photo by Sarah Der)
“Business ownership is tough, being a restaurateur is even tougher,” says seasoned chef Mike Ledesma, who has been a part of the dining industry in Richmond for over a decade. “The hardest thing ever [for me to do] is to close, and let go of 45 people that are my family.”
Perch served its last meal on Saturday, May 28. Executive chef and owner of the bright, airy, Pacific-influenced enclave, Ledesma announced the restaurant’s farewell on Instagram Tuesday.
Opened in June 2018, the fine-dining-meets-casual, island-inspired concept brought life into the former Joy Garden space at 2918 W. Broad St., the menu a blend of Ledesma’s classical training, Hawaiian roots and Filipino heritage. Hosting dozens of pop-ups before opening, the venture marked Ledesma’s first solo foray after helming the kitchens of The Hard Shell Belgrade, East Coast Provisions, Max’s on Broad and the now shuttered Patina.
“The pandemic was tough — pivoting and all that stuff, along with rising meals tax, inflation, high cost of goods sold, food costs went up, surcharges, rent is going up,” says Ledesma, who adds that it’s an industry-wide dilemma owners and teams are facing. “All those things made for the perfect storm; it was poor timing, and everything all at the same time.”
Ledesma says he found out Friday, May 27, that Perch was closing, and employees were informed at the end of service the following day that the restaurant would not reopen. "It was tough," Ledesma says. "They were shocked."
A former stock broker with a business background, Ledesma says the continuous pressures of operating a 4,600-square-foot space that could seat over 150 guests grew to be too much. Although business began to pick up in May of last year, he says, it was short-lived, and the restaurant’s sales never fully bounced back, particularly on weekend nights.
As Ledesma began to ponder saying goodbye, his business partner, Kris Collo, ultimately made the decision to close the restaurant.
“I said, ‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ then my partner said, ‘I’m out, this is too much,’ ” Ledesma says.
The onetime corporate chef and self-proclaimed optimist promises that this isn’t the end of his cooking journey. He plans to host events as a private chef, noting that the conviviality and guest interaction was what he enjoyed most from the culinary experience.
"That was my favorite part of the whole thing — entertaining, really good food, good drinks, good vibe and celebrations,” Ledesma says.
“I think I took a big chance with a big restaurant to do something great for Richmond; it was a good run,” he says, adding that Perch was involved heavily in efforts to feed frontline workers during the pandemic, as well as working with chef Jose Andres’ World Central Kitchen.
A number of eateries, including Richmond Restaurant Group's Barrio Taqueria & Tequila and East and West Coast Provisions, in addition to Hatch Local and Shagbark, have expressed condolences and encouraged staff from Perch to apply for positions.
“Seeing regulars and building those relationships with the community was the biggest part of Perch really standing out and putting Richmond forward in the food scene and the community and just being a force," Ledesma says. "I love Richmond, it’s been very welcoming, and I’m not going anywhere.”
In November 2021, Ledesma debuted the takeout and delivery venture The Coop in the former Acacia Mid-town space, which houses a variety of dining concepts under one roof. He says he plans to refocus his energies into the project, which he describes as ever-morphing.
