North Macon restaurant closes, construction on new eatery begins

An Italian restaurant that opened five years ago at The Shoppes at River Crossing has closed, and another restaurant is preparing to open.

Orlando, Florida-based Buca di Beppo closed its restaurant Sunday at 5080 Riverside Drive, said a company employee Thursday who would not provide her full name.

Zoes Kitchen plans to move into a portion of the space Buca occupied, as The Telegraph reported earlier this month.

Zoes received approval of its application for a conditional-use permit by the Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission to allow the restaurant to occupy the space and provide outside seating. While an architect’s report for Zoes showed that its company planned to take part of Buca’s space, efforts to reach someone with Buca for comment have been unsuccessful.

Buca di Beppo announced in February 2012 that it was opening that summer in more than 6,500 square feet of space across Gateway Drive from Barnes & Noble Booksellers, near the main entrance of the shopping center. The company announced it planned to open 10 new restaurants that year, along with ones in Augusta and Alpharetta.

At the time of the Macon announcement, a company official said that a typical restaurant employs 75 to 100 workers. It is unknown how many workers were affected by the shutdown this week. When the Augusta restaurant closed over the New Year’s weekend this year, nearly 40 people were out of work, according to The Augusta Chronicle. A Buca spokesperson said the company decided not to renew its five-year lease there.

A sign on the door of the Macon restaurant directs people to its Alpharetta store.

Plano, Texas-based Zoes Kitchen is a fast-casual restaurant serving fresh, Mediterranean-inspired dishes “delivered with Southern hospitality,” according to its website. Renovation of the space is expected to begin in July, and it plans to open midfall in about 2,800 square feet of space.

Zoes would seat nearly 130 people including the patio, and it expects to employ 30 to 35 people. The company has 221 stores in 20 states, with 24 located in Georgia.

This story was originally published June 29, 2017 at 12:56 PM with the headline "North Macon restaurant closes, construction on new eatery begins."