Mulligan’s Beach House in Jensen Beach, after 23 years, announced its sudden closure, with plans to serve its final customers on Easter Sunday, April 5.
“We made this decision not for business reasons but for cost reasons, and it is time to move on,” the restaurant said in an April 4 Facebook post. “I may find another location in Martin County, or I may drive into the sunset and enjoy the rest of my life.”
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For the past couple of years, the restaurant worked to pay the “exorbitant rent” to the landlord, the post said.
“We absolutely cannot afford to pay the rent any longer. We tried to find a buyer for six months, but everyone felt the same way about the enormous rent,” the post said. “Our business is strong — it has been for 23 years — but not strong enough to cover these expenses.”
Mulligan’s locations in Vero Beach and Sebastian are unaffected by the closing, according to the post. Jensen Beach staff were offered the option to work in the Indian River County locations, with most accepting the offer, the post said.
The restaurant’s last day in Jensen Beach was scheduled to be Easter Sunday.
Colleen Wixon is the Indian River County government watchdog reporter for TCPalm and Treasure Coast Newspapers.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: High rent cited for reason this Florida restaurant closing its doors