By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A downtown burger restaurant closed its doors Tuesday evening in an abrupt move coming just five months after its opening.

212 Grindhouse, located at 212 E. State St., opened Nov. 30 after rebranding from its previous iteration as Taco Betty’s. The taco eatery, which is connected to The Standard and next door to Rockford City Market, had opened in April 2017.

“Well that’s all folks. Tonight is our last night. We have loved serving you Rockford, but it’s time to be done,” a message posted on 212 Grindhouse’s Facebook page reads. “Please stop in today and say goodbye. We will definitely miss all the friends we have made.”

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Attempts to reach the owner for additional comment were not successful.

There weren’t previous indications from the restaurant that it would close before Tuesday’s announcement. Two weeks ago the restaurant’s president, Alan Brown, had spoken during a City Council meeting amid the debate about Rockford City Market’s footprint. He said he had a “front row seat on the positive impact the market has had on our community” and was willing to work with the city to make sure the market was again a positive experience.

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On Wednesday morning, a sign posted on the restaurant door read: “Sorry, as of April 27 we are permanently closed.”

We will update this story if we hear back from the owner.