P-J photo by Dennis Phillips

A mainstay of the downtown dining community will be closing its doors for the foreseeable future.

On Tuesday, Peggy Kaltenmeier, Forte The Restaurant owner, announced via a Facebook post the restaurant, located at 114 E. Third St., Jamestown, will cease normal operations for a number of months. She said there were many factors that went into the decision, with the COVID-19 pandemic being the main catalyst. She added that it’s difficult for Forte to survive through a time frame where the restaurant isn’t able to accommodate 100% of its seating capacity.

Kaltenmeier also said without movies, plays, live music and without a typical amount of visitors for either the National Comedy Center or Chautauqua Institution, there are less people downtown, which means fewer customers.