Overview
- The Walker Art Center, which announced the split Thursday, said Cardamom will wind down over the next 60 to 90 days while offering limited service.
- The break followed Cardamom’s move to QR-code ordering that cut front-of-house roles, a shift museum leaders said conflicted with a full-service dining vision.
- Former staff said they received only days of notice and they picketed Thursday with another protest planned for Sunday as organizers counted 16 terminations.
- Cardamom’s operator, DDP Restaurant Group, said the restaurant was never profitable and argued the QR system aimed to preserve jobs with offers of new roles or severance.
- The Walker will solicit proposals for a replacement, highlighting a wider restaurant push toward automation under financial pressure and museums’ focus on human service.