Stir Crazy closes restaurants in Castleton, Greenwood

The Chicago-based parent company of the Stir Crazy restaurant chain has closed its locations at Castleton Square and Greenwood Park malls. Flat Out Crazy Restaurant Group, which also owns the Flat Top Grill concept, continues to operate 11 Stir Crazy locations in seven states, but the restaurants in central Indiana underperformed expectations, said Kim Wedster, the chain's office manager. In recent weeks, the chain also closed restaurants in Illinois and Minnesota. The Asian stir-fry restaurants opened locally more than four years ago in lifestyle expansions that replaced former L.S. Ayres department stores at the stalwart shopping malls. Both malls are owned by Simon Property Group Inc. The restaurants closed for good on Tuesday in a surprise to employees and patrons. The parent company has no plans to try out its other concepts in the space, Wedster said. In Greenwood, the restaurant joined the bookstore Barnes & Noble and restaurants BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse and Cheesecake Factory. Fellow tenants at the lifestyle wing of Castleton Square include H&M, Forever 21, an AMC theater and the restaurant Houlihan's.