Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with new information from a Bravo! representative.
It appears the comeback staged for Bravo! Cucina Italiana wasn’t as successful as planned at Lehigh Valley Mall in Whitehall Township.
The Italian eatery initially announced a permanent closure at the start of the coronavirus pandemic before finding a way to revitalize itself over a year later. It finally reopened in October 2021 at at the mall’s Lifestyle Center. Just a year later, however, the restaurant now has permanently closed once again, according to a voice message on its answering machine and social media pages. The chain location additionally has been removed from the mall’s directory and the company’s website.
Maria Wyatt-Uhl of New York-based Allied Global Marketing, which handles public relations for Bravo!, told lehighvalleylive.com Thursday the eatery shuttered on Oct. 23 after deciding not to extend its short-term lease of six months.
“... We did not see the business return as we had hoped,” Wyatt-Uhl said. “We would like to thank the community for their support — it is through our amazing team and loyal guests that we were able to have the tremendous run that we had at Leigh Valley Mall.”
The chain is known for its full-service, upscale affordable Italian menu options. Popular menu items include flatbreads, pizza, pasta, “parms,” land and sea combinations, and desserts. There are 30 national locations currently in operation, including five others in Pennsylvania, according to Bravo!’s website.
Orlando, Florida-based FoodFirst Global Restaurants, the previous owner of Bravo!, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2020. The same month, Earl Enterprises took over the chain as its new parent company.
Bravo!’s departure leaves a large vacancy at the Lifestyle Center, which celebrated its 15th anniversary in operation this year. Another empty storefront sits next to Murphy’s Jewelers at the Lifestyle Center.
Other tenants of the Lifestyle Center include Bonefish Grill, Pocono Brewery Co., Apple, White House Black Market, Vera Bradley, lululemon, Soma Intimates, Pottery Barn, Murphy Jewelers, Warby Parker, Pepper Palace, Williams-Sonoma, Vera Bradley. Chico’s and The Joint Coffee Co.
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Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com.
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