After a decade of serving low-income communities across Greater Boston with deeply discounted, nutritious groceries, Daily Table is closing up shop.
The nonprofit grocer, founded in 2012 by former Trader Joe’s president Doug Rauch, announced Friday that it will shutter all four locations within days, citing unsustainable financial pressure. “Without immediate funding to bridge us through 2025, we cannot continue,” the organization said in a public letter. “After careful consideration, we have come to the heartbreaking conclusion that we can no longer continue operations.
Daily Table offered a unique model: surplus and donated food from suppliers, combined with philanthropic support, allowed the stores to sell items at prices often 30-percent lower than the market rate. Customers could purchase fresh produce, staples and prepared meals using SNAP, all while shopping in a dignified, full-service environment. Since opening its first store in Dorchester in 2015, the chain has served more than 3 million people and returned over $16 million in savings to the community.
Why is the Daily Table closing?
A combination of COVID-era challenges, a sharp rise in food prices and a loss of USDA funding last year through the Double Up Food Bucks program proved too much to weather. Daily Table CEO Sasha Purpura told Boston.com the chain’s commitment to retaining staff and absorbing costs—even as operating expenses skyrocketed—took a toll. “We have been trying to get through this challenging time, but in the end, we do not have the money,” she said.
Stores in Dorchester, Roxbury and Salem closed Sunday, with the Cambridge location expected to follow shortly. All stores are currently liquidating inventory at steep discounts.
Daily Table’s leadership emphasized that while the nonprofit's current iteration is ending, its underlying mission isn’t. In their letter, they noted that they “remain as committed to the mission of Daily Table as ever” and believe “this model can be replicated elsewhere.”
Whether others will step in to fill the gap remains to be seen—but after 10 years, three million customers, and millions in community savings, Daily Table’s impact won’t disappear overnight.