Auntie Anne’s has closed its location at the Shops at Ithaca Mall, ending a roughly 10-year run for the pretzel chain in the mall’s food court.
The location opened in April 2016 as a combined Auntie Anne’s and Carvel Ice Cream stand in the Café Square food court. The franchise occupied a spot that had previously housed an earlier Auntie Anne’s location, which closed several years before returning to the mall.
The closure comes as the national brand continues to expand in other settings, including airports, train stations, sports venues, universities and standalone locations outside traditional shopping malls. Auntie Anne’s did not comment on the Ithaca closure.
The departure further reduces dining options at the Shops at Ithaca Mall. According to the report, a Subway location in the food court has also recently closed, leaving Sicilian Delight and Zocalo Mexican Bar & Grill as the mall’s remaining eateries.
While a decade-long run is relatively lengthy for a mall food court business, the closure reflects the continuing evolution of retail and dining at shopping centers across the region. The vacant storefront now joins a growing list of spaces that have turned over as malls adapt to changing consumer habits and tenant demand.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to news@fingerlakes1.com.