GUELPH — Moxie's Grill and Bar has abruptly closed its doors in Guelph while Carl's Jr. burgers is about to arrive in the city's ever-evolving restaurant scene.

Moxie's lease in a prominent location at the Stone Road Mall was terminated for "non-payment of rent," a notice on the door by mall owner Primaris REIT (real estate investment trust) states. The interior was dark Tuesday.

The Guelph casual dining site was a franchise operation for a Calgary-based franchisor, whose parent company is listed online as Northland Properties of Vancouver, B.C.

Moxie's marketing vice-president, Sue Thomson, said Tuesday the rest of the chain of 63 restaurants in eight provinces is unaffected by the Guelph closure.

"It is an isolated closure," she said, not ruling out the possibility of a Moxie's reappearing some day in Guelph. It's a growing chain and a closing is a "rare" occurrence, she said.

The restaurants were originally called Moxie's Classic Grill, but evolved over time to Moxie's Grill and Bar as the business expanded, Thomson noted.

Regionally, there's a Moxie's on Fairway Road in Kitchener, where a woman answering the phone said "we're 100 per cent open."

Stone Road Mall manager Tony Stapley said his regional facility doesn't have an immediate replacement for the Moxie's space on the west side of the mall.

"Not at the moment; no, we don't," he said. The mall's looking, and would consider another restaurant, but that's not the preferred choice. Stapley said the mall already has a restaurant with the recent addition of The Burger's Priest. The mall also has a full food court.

He declined to offer comment on the Sept. 12 termination notice to Moxie's, which opened in Guelph in 2007.