Joe's Midnight Run has closed after two years.
The restaurant specialized in wood-fired foods and opened in 2016 near 7th Street and Bethany Home Road, an area that initially saw an influx of restaurant openings, but has been recently hit with closures.
"Dear Guests, It is with a very sad heart that I must close Joe’s effective today," owner Bob Mayo wrote Monday on the restaurant's Facebook page. "We appreciate all your patronage through the years."
Rick Cordova opened the restaurant in 2016. In November 2017, Hope took over ownership.
"We were working with our guests to tweak the concept and felt we were making real progress," Hope said in a written statement through a spokesperson. "Although we were very busy on Friday and Saturdays, the rest of the week was a struggle. In the end, we just couldn’t sustain those slow weekdays."
He is now working to place his employees at other restaurants in the Valley.
The area has welcomed new restaurants such as Chef Scott Conant's Mora Italia, Camp Social, a casual, camping-themed restaurant and bar; and Pomegranate Cafe, a vegan and vegetarian restaurant with roots in Ahwatukee, and seen some closures.
At The Colony, a mixed-use development near 7th Street and Missouri, The Herb Box opened and closed. That space is set to become the second location for Riot Hospitality Group's health-conscious concept, Farm & Craft.
Casa Anejo, a Mexican concept from Evening Entertainment Group, also at The Colony, shuttered its doors last week after eight months. That space will become the second location of Bevvy, a high-energy bar concept from EEG.
Then Okra Kitchen & Cocktails, surprisingly closed its doors in October after one of the owners moved to California.
