POINT PLEASANT — Halftime Sports Bar and Grill in Point Pleasant will apparently remain closed permanently.

The restaurant, located on Viand St. in the former Bennigan’s location, reportedly closed its doors on Wednesday. Halftime Sports Bar and Grill opened during the summer following the closure of Bennigan’s, which was owned by Richard K. Rose. Halftime opened at the same location on July 31.

Rose also owned the Halftime located in the Charleston Town Centre Mall, which according to mall management, has been closed for almost two months.

In July 2008, it was reported that restaurant chains Bennigan’s and Steak and Ale filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, and stores owned by the parent company shut their doors. However, only corporate restaurants were affected by the closures and the Point Pleasant Bennigan’s remained open because it was a franchise operation.

Mike Hughes, who was involved in the operation of Halftime Sports Bar and Grill, said a downturn in sales was the main reason the restaurant shut its doors.

Hughes is now in the process of re-opening the Down Under restaurant in Gallipolis, Ohio. The Down Under is located in the basement of the Lafayette Mall on Court Street.

Hughes emphasized that the Down Under is a totally separate operation and has no ties to Halftime or Rose. Gallia County businessman Steve Chapman owns the space where the Down Under is housed.

Reportedly, the bar at the Down Under opened on Thursday night and will be open on a limited basis until the full restaurant is ready to go at a later date.