Ivy Alley Social House cites lack of business as reason for closing
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- For at least the third time since the start of the new year, a South Bend restaurant has announced its closure.
Ivy Alley Social House posted the news on social media Saturday, after opening this past December.
The owner of Ivy Alley did not want to appear on camera, but said the decision came down to a lack of business.
For a few more days, Ivy Alley will be serving up food and drinks and giving people an opportunity to experience duckpin bowling.
But come Saturday, one of South Bend's newest restaurants will close its doors permanently.
"I think the biggest thing was probably some shock at first when I heard it, and then just sadness, obviously; I want as much stuff to be successful around the ballpark. Outside of that, somebody put a lot of time and effort into that and investment into it, so I feel bad for the owners, and hopefully, they will find somebody that will be able to purchase it, and they'll be able to continue on in some form or fashion," said Joe Hart, South Bend Cubs president.
For businesses near Ivy Alley, the announcement left them stunned.
A local business, especially a restaurant, shutting down less than 6 months after opening.
"I was in shock when I first heard about it, I've got friends there, they had only been open a couple of months, so when you hear that they're already packing it in, it's sad, it's shocking, but it highlights just how tough everything is right now for small businesses, especially independent businesses like ourselves," said Steve Lowe, owner and brewer at South Bend Brew Werks.
Just up the road from Ivy Alley, Shamrocks is preparing for its opening this week.
The news of Ivy's closing hit home for Shamrocks Sports Bar owner, Josh Thompson.
"I thought the food was really good, thought the space was beautiful, the atmosphere was really good, the duckpin bowling was frustrating but that's another story. But to hear of their closure was extremely shocking for us, and it absolutely caught me by surprise. As a new business owner, hearing about a business that's literally a block away from us is absolutely alarming," said Thompson.
Back in January, Tippecanoe Place announced it was closing, and in February, LaSalle Grill followed suit.
The final day of operations for Ivy Alley is this Saturday, May 16th.