The Wheelhouse closes

The Wheelhouse, which relocated to downtown Springfield last year after a 2023 ownership change, has closed. 

Jan. 17 was the 307 S. Jefferson Ave. restaurant's final service, according to a Facebook post. 

"We hate to say goodbye but it has become economically unsustainable to keep operating at this level," the post reads. "The team deserves stability and that is something we have struggled with since opening in May. Restaurants are a tough business, and while the restaurant was everything we could’ve hoped for and more, the business unfortunately didn’t follow."

The Wheelhouse opened along Jefferson Avenue in May 2025 after previously operating in the Vib Best Western Springfield hotel, 1845 E. Sunshine St., since 2018, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. Lijah Sparlin and his wife, Madison, and his brother, Logan, purchased the business from founders Zach and Melissa Smallwood in October 2023. 

The restaurant was founded in 2012, first as a Mexican-Thai fusion food truck before expanding to its brick-and-mortar space in the Vib.

When it opened on Jefferson Avenue, the menu included Japanese curry and carne asada.