A new Alex Seidel and a new Mercantile

State of play: Seidel, 52, closed his farm in Larkspur in 2021 — the first step on what he called "a personal journey" back to his roots, he told BusinessDen in a recent interview.

• Last August, he sold his majority stake in Mercantile — where he won his 2018 Beard Award for Best Chef: Southwest — to Sage Hospitality.
• And he closed his Denver landmark restaurant, Fruition, in January.

What he's saying: "I wasn't having fun worrying about what new legislation was going to come out. I don't have fun going to the mayor's office and talking about business," he told BusinessDen. "I like to be in my restaurant working with my people and creating things. … And I got so far away from that."

The latest: Mercantile — where Seidel still owns a 35% stake — reopened after a six-week closure and $500,000 renovation to its Union Station space. It now features a spacious bar and cafe as well as a private dining room.

• The menu has evolved from its market concept and will change seasonally.

• Lunch is expanded to include counter service and a $35, two-course meal.

The big picture: Seidel is not the only prominent name to shed pieces of his restaurant portfolio post-pandemic.

• The closure of Fruition, his first restaurant, was not solely driven by economics, he says, and his other properties — three Chook Chicken locations and Fudmill, a Denver bakery — are doing well.

Yes, but: He's never seen the restaurant industry like this. "I don't ever remember it being this difficult," he said in the interview. "Not just to manage the business but to manage the restaurant in its entirety. From how you manage people to how you manage the bottom line."