Mac! Mac & Cheesery Closing on Mississippi to Make Way for Quaintrelle

The fast casual Mississippi Avenue mainstay, Mac! Mac & Cheesery, will close on Saturday to make way for the more upscale Quaintrelle.

Quaintrelle will be helmed by chef Bill Wallender, who was formerly the sous chef at Ava Gene's, and has honed his skills in kitchens including Little Bird and clarklewis.

Emily Everett, owner of both Mac! and the soon-to-be-open Quaintrelle, told Eater about her decision to go from mac and cheese to more upscale offerings: "The rent is just too high for fast-casual and my price point. I considered moving Mac!, but I love the space and the neighborhood, so I decided to change the concept to fit the space. I hope to re-open Mac! In the future in a different location more suited to inexpensive, fast casual."

The closure will allow Everett to do a complete overhaul of the space. "We will be closed for approximately two months to redecorate," she says.

Aiming to reopen as Quaintrelle by mid-May, Everett says the focus will be on "serving seasonal, local, ingredient-driven cuisine made with passion and intention."

Before it closes up shop on Friday and Saturday though, Mac! will offer $5 vegetarian macs and $7 meat macs. And if you bring them a "goodbye card," they'll take 10 percent off your meal.

Stay tuned.