Students returning to school will find the former Papa Lou’s restaurant on Western Boulevard freshly vacated after it shut down last week.

The company that owned the quick-serve restaurant, LM Restaurants Inc., decided to shift more of its focus to its primary restaurant, Carolina Ale House.

“We have enjoyed serving the Triangle for the past several years, Mindy Amerson, LM’s marketing coordinator, said. “There has been a popular demand for more Carolina Ale House locations and we’re shifting more in that direction.”

The property sold since the restaurant shut down on Dec. 31 and will become Greek Fiesta.

Papa Lou’s took over the location from Miami Subs in 2001, according to Amerson. But now the company’s focus turns to expanding Carolina Ale House, which already has six locations throughout the Triangle.

“We’ll be adding five more in North Carolina [and we] are planning to expand throughout the southeast,” Amerson said. “The funds and direction of the company are going more toward that restaurant.”

Papa Lou’s accepted off-campus dining cards from students, and Amerson said Carolina Ale House will continue to offer 10 percent discounts to students, faculty and members of the Alumni Association.

Some students, such as graduate student in animal science Michael Shields, are disappointed by the end of Papa Lou’s.

“It was a good alternative to Zaxby’s because the chicken seemed more real and their hand-cut fries were great,” Shields said.

He added he thinks the food choices around campus are still legitimate.

“There will probably be more of a shift to Bojangles’ and to Zaxby’s,” he said.

LM Restaurants already owns Greek restaurant Taverna Agora on Glenwood Avenue, Bentley’s at Crossroads, as well as a Carolina Ale House location in South Carolina and Florida with more planned to be completed this summer.