A Fayetteville branch of a chain of healthy food restaurants recently closed.
The CoreLife Eatery at Freedom Town Center on Skibo Road was closed during business hours Friday.
“Sorry, we are permanently closed. CoreLife thanks you for your loyalty,” read a sign on the front door.
Joseph Scimone, CFO and trustee of Serota Properties, which owns the 49-acre shopping center, said Monday that the company worked with the restaurant to end the lease early.
“I don’t think it was the right place for her,” he said.
Scimone said the restaurant will likely be replaced by a venue that caters to the tastes of area residents.
“We have a lot of healthy bowls,” he said. “I think we can still find someone there who is good for the center and the neighborhood and will make a better offer that is not available nearby.”
The restaurant’s website, Google listing and Facebook page say it is closed and the phone number was disconnected on Friday.
CoreLife Eatery’s corporate headquarters did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
The Bullard Restaurant Group, which owns and operates dozens of restaurants in North Carolina, including Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q, Burger King, BurgerFi and Moe’s Southwest Grill, opened Fayetteville CoreLife in 2018. It was the health-conscious franchise’s first store in the Tar Heel State.
The Bullard Restaurant Group did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
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The recently closed restaurant served grain, kale and broth dishes, smoothies and wraps. It was one of several health-focused offerings at the mall, which include a juice bar, a natural food store, a wellness center and a gym with a sauna.
There were several openings and closings at Freedom Town Center this year
The closure of CoreLife is the latest in a series of comings and goings at Freedom Town Center.
Stretch Lab, a gym specializing in one-on-one stretching, is scheduled to open this summer.
Openings this year included Prime IV, a wellness center that offers intravenous fluid therapy, and La-Z-Boy Furnishings & Decor, which replaced the former buybuy BABY store.
Related: A stretching studio – what is that? Fayetteville will soon find out.
Meanwhile, the former Petro’s Chili and Chips, which was to be replaced by Sir’s Pizza, remains empty.
Reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at [email protected].
