Hugh Acheson’s Cinco y Diez shutters after 10 months in business

“The business side was lacking”
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Lecircle-logoss than one year in, Hugh Acheson’s Mexican restaurant Cinco y Diez has closed. Led by chef Whitney Otawka, previously of Farm 255, Cinco y Diez replaced Acheson’s Five & Ten when it was relocated to a nearby space in Athens at the beginning of the year. There’s no word on what Acheson—chef and founder of Empire State South, the National, and the Florence—and business partner Melissa Clegg—founder of Last Resort Grill—will do with the now defunct restaurant space.

The restaurant’s closure comes as a surprise to many, but it was confirmed in an email from Acheson to a select group of contacts.

“Restaurants take three main things. Heart, soul, and business plans,” he writes. “Cinco y Diez exhibited every ounce of heart and soul that it could, and I am proud of what we accomplished.”

“The business side was lacking,” he continues, emphasizing that this was due in no part to the management team’s abilities. “Sadly, Melissa and I have determined that it will be more fiscally responsible to close our doors than to continue on.”

A visit to the restaurant’s website reiterates that Cinco y Diez is closed and directs guests to consider dining at the National, Five & Ten, or Last Resort.

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