Elephant Bar eatery at mall to close down

Toledo site is 1 of 17 to be shut; last day for business Thursday

The Elephant Bar Restaurant’s last day at Franklin Park Mall is to be Thursday. The California-based chain had as many as 46 sites across nine states. After the closures, 29 sites — with 20 in California — are to stay open. The pan-Asian restaurant opened in the mall in 2006. The mall location has 30 employees.

The company that operates the Elephant Bar restaurant chain, S.B. Restaurant Co., is closing about a third of its locations, including its Toledo spot at Franklin Park Mall.

The restaurant’s general manager said Tuesday that the pan-Asian eatery’‍s last day will be Thursday. He said the firm would not allow him to comment further.

Leslie Liberatore, a spokesman for Elephant Bar, said in an email that there was not enough traffic to keep the restaurant open.

“We recently announced some other closures because of the same reason,” she said. “There will be 29 Elephant Bar Restaurants operating in California, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, and Florida.”

Elephant Bar’s Web site shows the California-based chain recently had as many as 46 sites across nine states. Of the 29 remaining restaurants, 20 are in California.

A spokesman for Franklin Park Mall said she could not comment on the future of the property or the reason for the closure. However, Steve Serchuk, a retail expert with Signature Associates Inc. in Toledo, said the mall should not have too much trouble filling the vacancy.

“The real estate and activity around the mall is still very, very strong and still probably the No. 1 retail destination in our market,” Mr. Serchuk said. “I would think another restaurant would want to be in that location.”

Elephant Bar opened at Franklin Park in 2006. Ms. Liberatore said the site has 30 employees.