Article by Beth Janes
The Brown Hen, a polpular breakfast and lunch spot located on the corner of College Avenue and Main Street in downtown Salem, closed its doors over the summer.
In a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page on Aug. 9, owner Tom Sosnowski said a new building owner with an unwillingness to renew the restaurant’s lease was the reason for the Brown Hen’s closure.
Sosnowski and his wife opened the Brown Hen in December 2016 offering classic Southern breakfast and lunch fare with an emphasis on highlighting seasonal and local produce.
Though it was in operation for a mere nine months, replacing what is formerly Lucky’s Pizza, the small operation had grown increasingly popular among Roanoke faculty and students.
Junior Sabrina Utz described The Brown Hen as “the perfect place to get breakfast before a 9:40 class.” She called the closing “tragic.”
Sosnowski has assured concerned patrons that the Brown Hen will be back, but there isn’t a specific timeframe for reopening.
