A Pedestrian Mall’s popular food and study spot, the Wedge, 136 S. Dubuque St., announced this past weekend it will close when it asked out of its lease with the city.

Little else has been announced about the closing of the Wedge Downtown, which opened in 2008.

The store’s owner, Steve Harding, has not given any public statement about why the restaurant will close. Members of the staff have declined to comment.

The future of the space is up in the air. No information about any companies interested in moving into the space has been released.

“I heard this morning that they were closing and was really saddened to hear that, just because I spend so much time here that I don’t know where I’ll go,” said University of Iowa senior nursing student Jessica Lewandowski, who said she visits at least once or twice a week.

One customer was surprised and upset by the restaurant’s closing. 

“I do spend a lot of time at the Wedge,” said UI junior year journalism major Alisa Hrustic. “It’s a really comfortable atmosphere here, and I don’t know, it’s always weird when you see businesses close, especially when you don’t know why. I feel like every time I’m here, it’s busy.”

The Wedge serves pizza and shares a space with May’s café.

“It’s a comfortable place to eat and study and stuff,” said junior international-relations major Randall Hutchcroft. “I like the ambience here a lot.”

The restaurant offered 2,000-square-feet of seating for customers, and often after 9 p.m., it becomes a concert venue for local music acts.

“It’s definitely my favorite coffee shop and place to study,” said Ella Wassweiler, a UI senior studying electrical engineering. “It feels like I’m here almost every day.”