It was the recession, pure and simple, that killed the Orlando Village Tavern, which turned the lights off on Wednesday, May 20. “It was forced to close because of the current economic climate,” said a spokeswoman for the North Carolina-based chain.

But the Mall at Millenia restaurant was the only one the company closed, suggesting that perhaps it was something more than economics — something more endemic, perhaps.

The spokeswoman, Mary Reynolds of Atlanta’s The Reynolds Group, said the remaining 10 Village Taverns seem to do well because they are primarily in neighborhoody locales. An outparcel at Mall at Millenia could hardly be considered neighborhoodlike.

So, do we wring our hands and fret that another restaurant has closed because of the recession, or do we look at this and realize that in good economic times as well as bad, business owners make poor decisions? I think it’s the latter. Village Tavern was the wrong restaurant for that spot. It had an upscale ambience that would do fine inside the trendy mall but stuck out in its spot next to Conroy Road. BJ’s restaurant and Elephant Bar seem to be doing fine even though VT was arguably a better restaurant.

Among the remaining Village Taverns, two are in Florida, in Boynton Beach and Pembroke Pines.