Catelli Duo in Moorestown Mall closes

Catelli Duo's Moorestown Mall location — which replaced the shuttered Osteria about a year and a half ago — has closed.

The modern Italian restaurant's general manager, Mark Grika, cited suffering sales in a quiet portion of the mall, across from the Distrito location that closed a few weeks ago.

Mall restaurants hinge their success on retail traffic, and Grika said he said counted nine closed stores in Catelli's wing alone. "It's a ghost town over here," he said.

Yard House, P.J. Whelihans, and Harvest Seasonal Grill seem to be busier, he said.

Catelli Duo's original location in Voorhees Town Center — only about nine miles away — is doing well, he said.

In a statement, Heather Crowell, a senior vice president with mall operator PREIT, wrote:

"Moorestown Mall is undergoing a significant transformation as construction on the Macy's box replacement is in full swing. Sales at the full-service restaurants currently in operation at the property exceed the overall mall average, so we are confident in the strong demand for quality dining establishments and will continue to deliver these dining concepts to the community, alongside the new retail joining the mall. Although we cannot disclose specifics at this time, we are at lease with a replacement for Distrito and look forward to announcing in the future."