Brio Italian Grille at Legacy Village has abruptly closed. Signs posted on the door hilariously instruct guests to visit other locations in Columbus or Pittsburgh. Given the current state of affairs for the company, there's no guarantee those locations will be open either when diners knock on the doors.
This week, Orlando, Florida-based Bravo Brio Restaurants, which owns the Bravo Italian Kitchen and Brio Italian Grille brands, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections. This is the second time in five years that Bravo Brio has done so.
Brio originally opened at Legacy Village in 2003. After closing in 2020, the restaurant reopened in 2021 under new ownership.
Cities such as Dayton, Raleigh and Kansas City are reporting similar instances of Brio abruptly closing stores this week.
In a public statement the company blamed a number of factors for the softening market.
“In addition, outgoing inflationary pressure, rising food and labor costs and a softening in discretionary consumer spending have contributed to underperformance, especially in shopping centers with high vacancies and declining foot traffic,” the company said. “These pressures have proved insurmountable to numerous other legacy casual-dining restaurant brands, many of whom have also turned to bankruptcy as a tool for restructuring.”
The Bravo Brio chain was launched in Columbus by Cleveland-based restaurateur Rick Doody and his brother Chris with the debut of Bravo! Cucina Italiana in 1992. The brothers later added Brio Tuscan Grille. In 2018, the restaurant chain was sold to private equity.
The closure of Brio is just the latest turnover news to come out of Lyndhurst recently. Following the closures of Bar Louie and California Pizza Kitchen, Cleveland Restaurant Management Group announced that they will be opening two new concepts, The Legacy and EVOO, both of which are shooting for a Thanksgiving opening.
This week, Wild Mango, which opened at Legacy Village in 2019, announced that it will close at the end of August. Saffron Patch will take that spot and open a new Indian restaurant there in the coming months.
No word on the future of the high-profile Brio space at Legacy just yet, but mall reps did offer the following in response to queries from Scene.
"On Monday we were made aware that Brio has decided to close its doors effective immediately. It is our understanding they have closed several other locations. This comes as Legacy Village is welcoming in a new era in dining experiences with the addition of chef-driven concepts that include EVOO, The Legacy, Shinto and Saffron Patch – all opening later this year into early 2026," says Susan M. Windle, General Manager Legacy Village.
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