Two casual restaurants on Erie Boulevard East, one in Syracuse and one in DeWitt, are closing.
Mello Velo, a restaurant / bar attached to a bicycle shop at the corner of Erie Boulevard and Walnut Street in Syracuse, announced via Facebook that it will end food and drink service on Sunday, Oct. 29. The bike shop, whose address is at 790 Canal St., will remain open.
The Distillery, a franchise of a small Rochester-based chain, appears to have already closed its location at 3112 Erie Boulevard near Thompson Road East in DeWitt. The Distillery web site no longer lists DeWitt as a location. Its restaurants in Rochester’s Mt. Hope neighborhood and the suburbs of Henrietta and Victor remain open.
Mello Velo, whose bright green and red brick building stands out on Erie Boulevard at Walnut, started as a small upstairs café in the heart of the Westcott Street business district in 2009. Owners Steve and Sara Morris, looking for more space, bought the industrial building along Erie Boulevard in 2015. It opened in 2018 after renovations.
In a Facebook post, the Morrises indicate their growing family is forcing them to “scale back.”
“Baby Marcy used to always say she wanted to work in the Cafe when she grew up,” they posted along with accompanying family pictures of kids in boxes. “She’s been growing up before our eyes ever since we started building out this special space over 8 years ago. Now there’s a new Bike Shop ‘box baby’ and it’s time for us to close this wild & wonderful chapter and scale back.
“We are so grateful for everyone who has traveled through our Cafe doors – you allowed us to dream big, take risks & push us harder and further than we knew we could, and we have gained so much! But most importantly, we love how so many “non-bike” people unwittingly hung out in a bicycle shop (café)!”
They also said that anyone interested in taking over the café can contact them. Gift certificates from the café will be honored at the bike shop. The Morrises could not be reached for more information.
The Distillery opened in 2014 in the spot near Erie Boulevard and Thompson Road that had been home to an Outback Steakhouse. It was a sports bar, with plenty of TVs, and a menu featuring craft beer, specialty drinks, wings, artisan pizzas, ribs and half-pound burgers.
The Distillery chain started in the Rochester area in 1980. Representatives for The Distillery could not be reached for comment.
More CNY restaurant news:
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Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
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