The pizza and pasta restaurant Sugo Osteria in Park Potomac, which has been closed since the end of last month, will not reopen.
The restaurant, at 12505 Park Potomac Ave., closed last month for renovations. But owner Dhvani Vyas told Bethesda Beat on Wednesday that the restaurant would not reopen.
Vyas said three five-ton HVAC units needed to be replaced, and the costs of the renovations plus the monthly rent were unsustainable.
During much of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, Vyas was able to pay a reduced rent to his landlord, and the business did OK despite the circumstances.
“Our brunch was super strong. … Takeout was strong. … So, we had that going for us during COVID,” he said.
But this year, costs began to mount.
“They needed me to go back to full [rent] and I needed to fix the HVAC situation,” he said.
Vyas added that he holds no bad feelings toward the landlord.
Vyas said he was able to get his entire kitchen staff jobs elsewhere after talking with friends in the restaurant business.
Sugo was opened in 2012 by CAVA founders Co-owners Ted Xenohristos, Ike Grigoropoulos and Dimitri Moshovitis. The trio sold it to Vyas in 2018.
Asked if he plans to open a new restaurant, Vyas said things are “on pause” at the moment due to the uncertainty created by the pandemic.
The Moco Show previously reported on Sugo’s closure.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@bethesdda-remix.newspackstaging.com