An Ocala hot dog and barbecue restaurant seems to have closed its location less than four months after it opened.
Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ, which is located at 2463 SW 27th Avenue in the Shady Oaks Shopping Center, has been closed for several weeks.
According to a sign on the front of the business, Crave is “closed due to electrical problems.”
No additional information has been provided by the business regarding the closure. Over the past several weeks, customers have reportedly seen the same sign on the front of the establishment at all hours.
Multiple phone calls and messages to the business were not returned for comment on this story.
Owned by Michael Lutz, the franchise location originally opened in early August after multiple months of construction to renovate the space, which was previously occupied by Kotobuki Japanese Steakhouse.
Unlike its predecessor, which occupied the location for nearly four decades before closing in 2022, Crave lasted in the space for just over three months.
In addition to hot dogs and barbecue, the restaurant also featured a variety of craft beers and axe throwing. Hot dogs came in a variety of classic styles like chili cheese and Chicago, and barbecue options included smoked brisket, pulled chicken, pulled pork, and ribs.
Crave Hot Dogs & BBQ was founded in 2018. According to its website, there are currently three other brick-and-mortar restaurants throughout the state in Orlando, Venice, and Lakeland. There are at least five more locations planned for Florida: Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Lady Lake.
Although the brand has been working on expanding throughout the United States, the Ocala location is not the first to suffer setbacks. The sole Crave location in Orlando briefly opened, closed, and reopened again under new ownership.
The brick-and-mortar location in Ocala followed the Crave food truck that operated in the city for multiple years. Its closure is one of many changes that have taken place at the Shady Oaks Shopping Center in 2023.
Earlier this year, Soleil Bakery celebrated the opening of its second location at the center.
A few months before that, Ocala Personal Training opened nearby.