PURE Urban Oasis Closes at Mercato

New Tenant Speculation Swirls

PURE CLOSED! New Tenant Rumors Swirl

Beverage Underground has confirmed the 239Buzz that began late Wednesday afternoon that PURE Urban Oasis the restaurant that became a popular nightspot at The Mercato in Naples has closed their doors.

Opened in  2010, PURE was a sleek, hip expression of gourmet food that had a very  lively late bar with a DJ.  The atmosphere proved to be a popular option to Blue Martini or Burn by Rocky Patel, the other nightclubs at the Mercato.

The food had received critical acclaim and business remained good on the strength of the bar through two summers, but speculation is that the new  tenant won’t approch the nightlife witht the same format.

PURE, is gone and it would seem doubtful that they will  reopen in another location as the new tenant rumors swirl that a deal with an established Naples restauranteur is eminent for the corner location that is across fro AZN and The Pub.  

Unconfirmed sources have Handsome Harry’s on Third Street as the favorites to open a second location and one source called it  ‘Harry’s at Mercato’.

Several inquiries have been made on the location and a rumored change in name and concept  had been reported to varied sources for months but the buzz escalated in the past several weeks.  The hurdles that Pure faced in past were related to noise issues with seasonal tenants but the real problem may be the facing many restaurants throughout Florida.

 Many restaurant/bars are faced with lower food to alcohol sales ratios than the State of Florida requires for special restaurant licenses.  It’s not unusual to see restaurants, pubs and taverns become known more for their DJ’s  drink and beer specials after 9 pm and the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation is  cracking down. 

Audits are being ordered soon and often for ‘nightclubs’  that start as restaurants and the balance between offering competitive food prices and using the bar to carry the bills is difficult for restaurants even during seasonal peaks.

Short URL: http://www.beverageunderground.com/?p=8182

Posted by 239News on Dec 8 2011. Filed under 239 Buzz, 239 Promos / Events. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry