Rosemary, the Ridley Park restaurant that has received rave reviews for its sophisticated city dining experience in the suburbs, is now streamlining its menu to boost lagging business, writes Michael Klein for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Rosemary’s opened in June 2023 with the most ambitious menu in Delaware County.

The customer count and revenue have not been there, said owner Philip Breen said, and he’s been forced to lay off half of his kitchen staff.

Starting Friday, the menu is being retooled to become “more conscientious of the economics.”

“People identified us as a special-occasion restaurant or a destination,” he said.

The average tab was about $56 per person for an entrée and alcoholic drink. That will be reduced by about 40 percent to $35, Breen said.

The new menu will include starters such as crab cakes for $22, butternut squash soup for $12 and sandwiches such as pesto chicken on house-made ciabatta with burrata for $18 and a cheesesteak French dip for $22.

Pizza, a specialty of chef George Sabatino, will eventually replace most pastas on the menu, he said.

The revamped menu is closer to Breen’s intended vision for Rosemary as a neighborhood restaurant. Read more about what’s coming to Rosemary in The Philadelphia Inquirer.