"America's Next Great Restaurant"? Not exactly. Maybe Bobby Flay should consider changing the name of his NBC reality competition.
After just six weeks of business, the New York branch of winning chain Soul Daddy has shuttered, according to its owner, Jamawn Woods.
[Update! The L.A. branch has also been closed, effective immediately.]
"The realities of running a restaurant are very difficult, more so with multiple locations in multiple cities," said Soul Daddy's PR team in a statement Wednesday. "After a careful review of the business model and the performance of the restaurants, we have decided that our best opportunity for Soul Daddy’s success is to focus our efforts on establishing a solid footing in one location, building the brand, and developing the operations from there. We have decided to close our restaurants at Hollywood and Highland in Los Angeles and the South Street Seaport in New York, effective June 14, and focus on developing the best restaurant we can at the Mall of America restaurant in Bloomington, Minnesota. While it has certainly been a difficult decision, we believe this is the best approach as we work towards ongoing success for Soul Daddy."
The chain, based on the simple premise of Southern-style home cooking done simple, won over Flay and his co-hosts, including "Celebrity Apprentice" alum Curtis Stone and Chipotle founder Steve Ells.
The affable Woods's remaining Soul Daddy location is on the third floor of the gigantic Mall of America.
