Fast-Casual Cosi Restaurant Leaving Birmingham

The 15-year-old Birmingham outpost of fast-casual flatbread sandwich chain Cosi will shutter this year, reports Downtown Publications. The building's owner Peter Sobelton confirms the closure and notes that several other business including restaurants and retail are already vying for the space. It's unclear how soon Cosi will vacate, however the restaurant's lease ends on July 31.

Both liquor licenses and bistro licenses are hard to come by in the city of Birmingham, which could make opening a new restaurant in the building a difficult maneuver. Last fall, former Top of the Pontch chef Justin Vaiciunas applied for a bistro license for a new Birmingham Asian fusion concept called Toshi. The restaurant would have filled a space next door to Cosi, however the license application was rejected.