The Saxbys coffee shop at 40th and Locust streets will close by May as Penn Dental Medicine ends the lease to repurpose the space. The area will be transformed into a sedation center with operatories and recovery rooms, as part of an expansion to support the Care Center for Persons with Disabilities and to enhance sedation services.
Saxbys has occupied the space within the Robert Schattner Center since 2015. However, Penn Dental plans to use the area for its growing needs. The expansion is funded through capital investments and ongoing fundraising efforts for the 2025 and 2026 fiscal years, according to a Penn Dental spokesperson.
“The decision to end the lease and repurpose the space is vital to improving patient care,” the spokesperson stated.
“Leadership at the dental school notified Saxbys that the lease would not be renewed for 2025, with the lease officially ending on May 31.”
The spokesperson highlighted that the Disabilities Center serves approximately 8,000 patients annually, including those with autism, Alzheimer’s, and cerebral palsy. Some of these patients require dental care under sedation or general anesthesia.
Nick Bayer, Saxbys’ founder and CEO, explained that the decision to reclaim the space was prompted by the significant growth of Penn Dental. “The expansion of the school required additional space to better serve the community,” Bayer wrote.
A Saxbys staff member, speaking anonymously due to concerns about retaliation, expressed frustration with the lack of transparency surrounding the closure. “We learned about it gradually through the grapevine. When I was hired, I wasn’t told we would be closing soon,” the employee said.
Workers were officially informed of the closure via an email from Saxbys headquarters on December 20. The email included details about severance payments, which were secured through unionization efforts that began in December 2024. “The union efforts helped bring this to light and forced the company to be more open,” the employee added.
