Carlisle announced today that the Downtown LYFE Kitchen has closed. Carlisle has sold the brand back to the franchisee.
The first LYFE Kitchen opened in 2015. It was the first LYFE with a bar. It is now a Central BBQ.
A second restaurant on South Main opened in 2016.
I reached out to LYFE and the Carlisle Group earlier this week regarding rumors that it was closing. I was told that it was just the weekend, which I tweeted. I apologize for the error. A Carlisle representative said that that was initially the plan, but within 72 hours that plan changed.
Here is the statement:
Carlisle today announced the sale of the LYFE Kitchen brand to LYFE Kitchen franchisee L3 Hospitality Group based out of Chicago. In conjunction with the sale, the LYFE Kitchen restaurant located in downtown Memphis has been closed. Carlisle has refocused on its core Wendy’s restaurants growing from 74 restaurants to nearly 152 across the southeastern United States over the past few years.
Carlisle, the developer of the One Beale project in downtown Memphis, also has announced its intention to start construction on the combined $135 million mixed use development in early 2019 in its long quest to transform the Memphis riverfront.
“Lyfe Kitchen was a fantastic brand that looks to change how we perceive ‘healthy food’. Unfortunately, as we aligned our strategic priorities, we did not have the time or resources necessary to fulfill Lyfe’s potential and felt a divesture made sense of all parties,” said Chance Carlisle, CEO of Carlisle. “We have our plate full with the start of One Beale and the continued opportunistic growth of our Wendy’s business as we continue to evaluate expansion options.
L3 Hospitality will continue to operate 3 LYFE Kitchen locations in their hometown of Chicago. “We began our adventure with LYFE because of our passion for what this brand stands for – Love Your Food Everyday. We have enjoyed a long partnership with the Carlisle company, and appreciate this opportunity to continue bringing a delicious, fulfilling dining experience to our friends and neighbors in the city we love most.” – Gail Taggart, Co-founder L3 Hospitality
