After only seven months of business, Villa Nova Bar & Grill in Charleston is no longer in operation.

Kevin Parrott, manager of Mattoon’s Villa Nova Bar & Grill and the former Charleston location, said the restaurant decided to close in Charleston because of a disproportionate larger ratio of business at the Mattoon locations.

“There’s more of a venue in Mattoon,” he said. “We probably have 10 times the people over here. (Charleston’s location) became a headache to us.”

Parrott said the owners of Villa Nova Bar & Grill thought they would expand the chain to Charleston because Eastern students would be receptive to an additional bar.

“We thought it might be a good chance to make a little money and try out a college town,” he said.

However, Parrott said the competition with other bars proved to take a toll on the new business.

“Everybody tries to compete against each other and we weren’t out there to compete,” he said.

Parrott added that finding employees for Charleston’s Villa Nova was more challenging than the Mattoon location.

He said many of their Charleston customers urged the owners to try to overcome the initial trial stages of a new business, but the bar and grill still decided to discontinue.

“Some were upset,” Parrott said. “They would say, ‘Man, just stick it out a couple more weeks,’ but we were just getting tired.”

Parrott said the customers at the Mattoon location are more diverse in age, which also lends to a larger profit for the bar and grill.

“They’re not just students,” he said. “Students have tendency to want something for a dollar.”

Parrott said he believes those students that do venture to the Mattoon location are drawn in by the appeal of being away from Charleston.

“They like to get a bus and come over here,” he said.

Parrott said the restaurant is in the process of moving the equipment from the former Charleston location to Mattoon’s location. He added that some of the employees will continue working on a part-time basis.

Parrott said he is glad to continue running the Mattoon Villa Nova Bar & Grill and will continue to stay open under the same operation and hours.

Sara Hall can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].