After serving Naples for more than 40 years, Aurelio’s Pizza is closing its Southwest Florida outpost this month.

The last day is Sept. 15 for Aurelio’s Pizza at Coastland Center mall in Naples. It’s the last location in Florida for the Chicago-based chain known for its tavern-style pizza.

Aurelio’s originally opened in Naples in 1982 where Liki Tiki BBQ is today at 590 Tamiami Trail N. After a franchise dispute 30 years later, another franchisee launched the mall location in December 2012 in a restaurant space that previously was Ted’s Montana Grill and Pate’s House of Prime Rib.

Following a successful 12-year run at the mall, Aurelio’s is closing to make way for another restaurant tenant, Rodizio Grill, a Brazilian steakhouse chain that plans to open there in mid-2025.

Ross and Linda Barnard, Naples residents and Chicagoland transplants, have owned the Naples franchise of Aurelio’s since 2012. While it wasn’t exactly the Barnards’ choice to close their restaurant this year, they are making the best of the situation.

“We had a relationship with the mall called a lease,” Ross Barnard said. “In that lease, they and us each had a six-month kicker clause. I could get out of the lease at any time if I paid six months’ rent; they could give me six months’ notice if they wanted me to move along. So, we got that notice from them and that puts us out of the lease on Jan. 5, but we’re closing early.

“The season this year has been not much to speak of and it’s going to take us a while to liquidate what we have, so we’re going to close our doors on Sept. 15 end of day and then we’ll spend whatever amount of time we need to liquidate our premises and go into retired life.”

The Barnard family doesn’t plan to reopen another Aurelio’s franchise here, although they had the opportunity to relocate the pizzeria within the mall.

“I turned 73 this year and my wife is right behind me,” Ross Barnard said. “Relocating the store is not so much the expense; it’s the timeline. We just literally aged out of the business.”

Coastland Center owner Brookfield Properties also had other plans for the large interior space near CMX CinéBistro on the western edge of the mall.

“They were great partners for us, but two years ago when our lease expired after 10 years, they were looking for a larger tenant,” Barnard said. “We were 5,000 square feet but we adjoined an additional 5,000 square feet that spent the better part of 12 years vacant. They really could never find a tenant. So, they got a bright idea down there at Coastland, which I think is smart. They said let’s start marketing this to a large 10,000-square-foot tenant that will take both spots. They found that tenant in Rodizio.”

Known for its rotisserie grilled meats carved tableside by gauchos, Rodizio Grill had been searching in Naples for a space large enough to add another location in Southwest Florida. The casual dining concept has operated at Coconut Point mall in Estero since April 2016. That 7,200-square-foot restaurant will remain open even after the larger Naples location opens, said Valentino Arenas, general manager of Rodizio Grill at Coconut Point.

Arenas doesn’t have a target opening date yet for the Brazilian steakhouse in Naples.

“All we know is that it’s going to be next year,” he said. “We haven’t started construction yet, so it will take a while.”

Meanwhile, Aurelio’s is gearing up for what it knows will be a big finish in Naples.

“We anticipate being crazy busy,” said Mark Lichtman, Aurelio’s general manager in Naples. “It’s interesting that I’m having to staff up to wind down.”

It’s always possible that another franchisee could pick up the Aurelio’s baton here or the company could launch another corporate location to add to the five it has in Chicagoland. The Aurelio’s company still views Naples as a strong market for its pizzerias, Barnard said.

“It is and was a top-performing store,” he said. “Going to the Coastland Center was a big boost for our size, for our image and for the comfort of our customers. It was a great performer.”

Somebody in the Chicago area may want to “retire” to Naples with Aurelio’s just as the Barnards did 13 years ago.

“For 42 years that brand has been there so I’m confident that somebody who’s got a little bit of tenacity for risk is going to pick up on it because, if you run it right and watch the dollars, it’s a good little business,” Barnard said.

Nevertheless, Barnard is ready for his next chapter.

“Sometimes things just happen for the best,” he said. “I’m getting this opportunity to move on. I still live in Naples. I love living there. I’m a resident of Florida. I still have another Aurelio’s back in Chicago in La Grange, Illinois, that does just fine. My son runs that. So, I’ll get my taste of Aurelio’s when I go back home.”