Elle Wine Bistro closed its doors Friday, a little more than a year after the restaurant, previously called Elle A Wine Country Restaurant, moved from Broadway Village to Campbell Plaza.
"It took me too long and too much money to get opened in the new location. I've been behind the eight ball since the inception" of the bistro version, owner and executive chef Jeff Fuld said Friday, after making the final decision to close just that morning.
He said about 20 people lost their jobs.
"I feel horrible. I'm trying to make it right to the staff and the vendors" even though he's behind in paying them, he said. "I put my entire life savings into this. This is my heart and soul and dream."
Elle opened at Broadway Village, 3048 E. Broadway, in 1999. Fuld, who previously owned Daniel's restaurant here, bought Elle in 2005, and said the business was growing steadily until the recession hit in 2008 or 2009.
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He closed at Broadway Village in September 2010 (the site was taken over by Sushi Garden) and opened in Campbell Plaza, 2970 N. Campbell Ave., in December that year.
The move was necessary, he said, because "the way the economy was going, we needed something smaller, with a much smaller check average, to fill it consistently."
But it took three months rather than the planned five or six weeks to move, due in part to some construction and permitting delays, but also simply because moves usually do take longer and cost more than expected, Fuld said.
He said he could have done a better job advertising and marketing the new site, which was a bit hidden from the street, "and I take a lot of that on myself."
"It's so disappointing. I apologize to my regulars and supporters and wish everyone well."
He said Campbell Plaza is a great location and praised his landlord there, adding, "I'm trying to give the landlord a turnkey restaurant, to get someone else in."
Asked whether there are too many restaurants for Tucson to support in this economy, he said he didn't think so. "One of the exciting things about Tucson," he said, "is it has a lot of really good independent restaurants. And Tucson, more than some other places, tends to support the small-business operator."
Contact Business Editor Norma Coile at ncoile@azstarnet.com or 573-4663.