NOCATEE, Fla. — Nocatee residents are concerned as several local businesses are shutting their doors for good. Three restaurants at the Nocatee Town Center announced their closure in the past couple of months.
After serving this community for more than three years, Catullo’s Italian in Nocatee is closing its doors on June 25th. They’re not the only ones – even on the same block.
Catullo’s Italian, Dick’s Wings, and Wendy’s are all calling it quits in Nocatee.
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After serving Nocatee for 13 years, Dick’s Wings and Grill closed its doors in February.
“It’s always sad to see businesses come and go, especially local ones like this one,” said Luis Quintanilla, a shopper at Nocatee Town Center.
It’s worth noting that Dick’s Grille opened in April 2013, making it one of the original restaurants at the Nocatee Town Center.
“I love the stores. I’m always coming and going and trying things. When they start closing, it’s upsetting,” said Mary-Ann Melchiorri, a Nocatee resident.
Catullo’s is now calling it quits after opening its Town Center location in 2023. Owners announced the difficult decision this week, citing the sale of the space to another restaurant group.
“With rising prices and the wage increase that just happened again, it’s getting harder and harder for small businesses to move forward and keep doing what they love and what they want to do,” said Catullo’s in a video on social media.
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The Parc Group, which developed Nocatee, tells Action News Jax it sold the Town Center property nearly 20 years ago. Regency Centers owns and operates the shopping center.
“I’ve been to Dicks Wings. It was great. I don’t know why they closed. Catullo’s is wonderful. I’m surprised that it’s closing. That’s not good,” said Melchiorri.
In a statement, Parc told Action News Jax they’re aware of the closures, tying Wendy’s folding to the company’s announcement last year to shut down 300 of its fast-food locations. Parc did not know why Catullo’s or Dick’s chose to close.
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We reached out to Regency Centers on Wednesday to ask if they’ve raised the rent on any businesses. We will update this story if we hear back.
Wednesday afternoon, Catullo’s posted an update on Instagram. It said two Frenchmen who own restaurants in France plan to open a rustic Italian concept restaurant in place of Catullo’s.
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