Worcester eatery out of business, victim of COVID-19

  • Blue Shades, a Worcester eatery at 256 Park Ave., has gone out of business, a victim of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant said on Friday.

    "I’m writing with the unfortunate news that we will be closing our doors for good for now," reads a post on Blue Shades' Facebook page. "We couldn’t make it through the pandemic with rent being so high and customers are still quarantining. We have loved being able to offer the best single origin coffee and liege waffles and snacks in Worcester."

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    By Sunday afternoon, the restaurant had been mostly cleared out and a For Rent sign hung on the door.

    Blue Shades opened in November 2017, according to an article in the Worcester Sun. It was started by Samuel Chang, "who came to the city with his family as refugees from Vietnam in 1981, attended South High Community School and was introduced to business at a young age when his parents became franchisees of a national gas station chain on Route 20, which they still own and operate," the Sun reported.

    The eatery's specialty was Liège waffles, a type of waffle that's "a street food meant to be eaten with your hands and without a gallon of maple syrup," the Sun wrote.

    Customer reviews were overwhelmingly positive. The restaurant had a 5 out of 5 rating on Facebook and 4.6 rating (out of 5) among 155 reviews on Google.

    "[H]opefully we will see you at a pop up or event night soon," the Facebook post reads. "We are already plotting our next event night and we are certainly open to catering for the foreseeable future."

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