UPDATE: Earlier we sent an email Tim McCallum, owner of Vapiano, asking if they might open back up. "We hope so, we will send out info when we do," McCallum replied.

Vapiano at Mockingbird Station has, to put it delicately, closed. Or, if one were to read the sign on the door, they might say the restaurant got its ass evicted. Really, it's just matter of semantics. Either way, it seems things just didn't work out.

In 2010, the neighborhood kids at SMU crowned this fast-casual Italian spot with good drink and pizza specials as "Best New Restaurant." And in 2009 they were named one of the "Hot New Concepts" by Nations Restaurant News.

But part of the concept never seemed to connect with customers: They employed a seemingly unnecessary payment system where customers were given a plastic card after ordering then paid with the card on the way out.

This German-owned concept has corporate offices in McLean, Virginia, and hasn't returned our call for more insight. Mockingbird Station is mum as well, other than the lock out notices taped to the front doors.

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