PeraBell Food Bar has closed its Riverhead location.
The building has been sold to an investor and the closing took place on Tuesday, according to Isaac Israel of Richmond Realty.
“An investor bought it,” Israel said in an interview today. “We are seeking a tenant,” he said. There is interest in the site, he said.
“It’s pretty much turnkey,” Israel noted.
PeraBell remains open and operating at its first location in Patchogue. Restaurant owners John Peragine and Scott Campbell opened a second location in Riverhead, dubbed PeraBell Food Bar East, on East Main Street in June 2015.
Peragine and Campbell bought the building from Bridghampton National Bank, which had taken title from the owner of the shuttered Cody’s BBQ in June 2014. The partners completely remodeled the building, inside and out before opening.
Peragine declined comment for this story.
PeraBell is the third Main Street restaurant to close its doors since the COVID-19 pandemic upended the economy last year — hitting the restaurant industry particularly hard. Sunny’s Diner and Grill has closed, as has Michelangelo’s Restaurant and Pizzeria.
Despite the recent closures, Riverhead’s Main Street, still boasts more than 16 eateries, not counting takeout-only restaurants, delis and breweries, between Mill Road and Ostrander Avenue. Renovations are underway at the former Hy-Ting Restaurant, which closed in 2018 after its liquor license was revoked by the state. The building owners have gutted the first floor and plan to open a new restaurant there, with two apartments on the second floor.
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