Healthy restaurant chain quietly closes Fayetteville location in Freedom Town Center

The Fayetteville outpost of a healthy chain restaurant recently closed.

CoreLife Eatery, located in the Freedom Town Center on Skibo Road, was closed during business hours on Friday.

“Sorry we are closed permanently. CoreLife thanks you for your patronage,” a sign affixed to the front door read.

Joseph Scimone, CFO and trustee 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 them," he said.

Scimone said the restaurant will likely be replaced by an eatery aligned with the tastes of residents in the area.

"We have a lot of healthy bowls," he said. "I think we can get somebody else in there that will be good for the center and the neighborhood that will be a better offering that’s not duplicated nearby."

The restaurant’s website , Google listing and Facebook page state that it is closed and the phone number was disconnected on Friday.

CoreLife Eatery’s corporate office did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.

Bullard Restaurant Group , which owns and operates dozens of North Carolina restaurants, including Smithfield’s Chicken ‘N Bar-B-Q, Burger King, BurgerFi and Moe’s Southwest Grill, opened the Fayetteville CoreLife in 2018 . It was the first of the health-conscious franchise's stores in the Tar Heel State.

Bullard Restaurant Group did not respond to requests for comment on Friday.

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The recently shuttered restaurant served grain, green and broth-based dishes, smoothies and wraps. It was one of several health-focused offerings in the shopping center, which include a juice bar, a natural grocery store, a hydration wellness center and a sauna-based gym.

Freedom Town Center has seen several openings and closings this year

CoreLife's closing marks the most recent in a string of comings and goings at Freedom Town Center.

Stretch Lab, a fitness studio specializing in one-on-one stretching, is slated to open this summer.

Among the openings this year were Prime IV, a wellness center offering intravenous hydration therapy; and La-Z-Boy Furnishings & Decor, which replaced the former buybuy BABY store.

Related: A stretching studio — what's that? Fayetteville's about to find out.

Meanwhile, the former Petro’s Chili and Chips, which was slated to be replaced by Sir’s Pizza, remains empty.

Reporter Taylor Shook can be reached at tshook@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Healthy restaurant chain quietly closes Fayetteville location in Freedom Town Center