Citing safety issues in downtown Woodbury, as well as very little foot traffic, as reasons for business being slow, Marlene Mangia Bene owner Frank Filipek said closing the modern Italian restaurant on Broad Street was still "a very hard" decision to make.

"We really fell in love with the town of Woodbury and the families were wonderful here," said Filipek. "We did make a lot of great friends."

Although the closing of the downtown restaurant was "not a shock" to Filipek and his partners, Maria and Chris Vasulo, it was met with disappointment from customers and the community after the announcement was made on Facebook Thursday night.

"It's a shame it was in Woodbury cause if it was elsewhere the place would have flourished," wrote Mike Cramer on Facebook. "The food was excellent."

The restaurant, which opened just three years ago, was praised in magazines such as Inside Jersey and South Jersey Magazine for its innovative modern Italian cuisine.

"It's sad," said Randi Woerner, Woodbury's director of economic development. "We tried to work with them (the owners) and we've done whatever we could to try to keep them here. We wish they could stay."

Filipek said the restaurant just wasn't "turning a profit" and it didn't make any sense for them to continue to stay open.

As the only restaurant in that part of the downtown area, Filipek said some customers didn't feel safe at times.

"Woodbury has a ways to go before it can really see significant change," he said. "For the three years we were here, we've seen several stores close."

The trio is getting out of the restaurant business altogether, Filipek said.

"It's bittersweet. We loved the experience and we loved the town of Woodbury and its rich history," he said. "But right now we're going to take a break and see what the future holds."

Their other location, Mangia Bene Pizzeria, in Bellmawr, was sold two weeks ago, Filipek said. The Woodbury restaurant will close on Aug. 9.

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Kristie Rearick may be reached at krearick@southjerseymedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KArearick. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.