VERO BEACH — Pearl restaurant, which had been struggling to make ends meet at its Ocean Drive address, has suddenly shut its doors.
A sign on the door Monday said the restaurant was closed for the summer, but workers inside appeared to be dismantling the interior of the restaurant. The neighboring gourmet shop was also locked. The restaurant had been open for business Friday, but did not provide a dinner service Saturday. Pearls had been in the process of re-inventing itself, scaling back prices to attract customers and opening the gourmet shop. However, with the economy still weak and new restaurants popping up, it appears they could not attract enough business.
Two other high-end restaurants have shut their doors in recent months. On April 15 Carmel’s, closed as the owners wanted to concentrate on another restaurant in North Carolina, and Stella’s stopped serving its Italian fare and re-opened as a breakfast, lunch and dinner eatery called Bonnie Lee’s.