The Shore House Cafe in Newport Beach has closed, according to sources.
The Balboa Peninsula restaurant on Balboa Boulevard and Main Street was first spotted featuring a "for lease" sign on its doors in early June, according to the Orange County Register. The Daily Pilot reported last year that the business had filed for bankruptcy.
The Shore House, once part of a regional chain, closed about three weeks ago, said Fountain Valley resident Sarkis Hagopian, who works at a nearby business.
"It's what everyone is talking about around here," he said. "It's just closed down."
Already, a mystery is collecting around the sudden closure.
Hagopian said co-workers reported that plates, glasses, server's materials and other items are still on tables and are visible through the windows, although he has not looked in for himself.
A message left for the restaurant's owner, David Bonadonna, was not immediately returned Tuesday.
Stephen Madoni, a Newport Beach attorney who represented the restaurant when it filed for bankruptcy, also did not return messages.
The restaurant's website, theshorehousecafenb.gimmegrub.com, remains active but states that no online orders are being accepted.
As of last July, the restaurant owed at least $1.62 million to creditors, including the county treasurer-tax collector, Department of Industrial Relations and Internal Revenue Service, according to Pilot archives.
The other locations in Huntington Beach, Seal Beach and Long Beach have also closed.
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