A Rolling Stone Gathers No Mozzarella — that was the headline for an article about Flatbread, written soon after the restaurant opened on July 3, 2010. The article featured Flatbread’s opener, Paul Cucchiarelli, who traveled the country opening restaurants for the small chain. Mr. Cucchiarelli never stayed at one location for more than a year or two, but he was good at building roots in the community, reaching out to small farms in the area to source local ingredients, and to local nonprofits adding them to the list of recipients for Flatbread’s weekly benefit nights.

Flatbread, it seemed, was destined to hunker down and flourish on the Island. It fit, as the saying goes, in the Vineyard’s wheelhouse. It had a laid back scene, and the pizza was cooked in a clay oven built literally by the community and topped with ingredients from Morning Glory Farm, the Good Farm, Whippoorwill Farm, Mermaid Farm, the list kept growing. The place had a proven track record off-Island that adhered to a basic mantra: simple and local and delicious.

And yet this week the Island learned that Flatbread would be moving on, gathering no more mozzarella here. Owner Jay Gould said it was a straight forward matter of economics. The restaurant was losing money, a lot of money, and could not contend with the Island’s seasonal economy. During July and August the place was packed, with lines flowing out the door. But the shoulder season did not have big enough shoulders to carry the restaurant during the months it sat idle.

The Island, like most resort communities is a seasonal animal. Businesses must make the bulk of their revenue during just a few months in order to survive the winter hibernation. Some figure out the magic secret and stand tall for decades. Others do not and quickly vanish.

Perhaps this is a story of the ever increasing high costs of doing business here, something plaguing many businesses around the Island as rents, salaries, supplies, housing and healthy ingredients become more and more expensive. Or maybe it’s a story of a difficult location, far from the town centers and so unable to attract year-round traffic, and subject to the additional expense of a land lease with the airport. Or maybe it’s the story of the cost of running an off-Island franchise which has to send money back to the headquarters. Mr. Gould did say he thought someone running the space as an independent restaurant might make it financially viable.

Most likely it’s a bit of all these stories, plus the tale of an Island sad to see yet another beloved establishment leave from a location that always serves up what the public wants — Lou Reed at the Hot Tin Roof, Maynard Silva at Outerland, Grace Potter at Nectar’s, delicious pizza and Rosanne Cash at Flatbread — but can’t seem to find the key to making it economically viable.

Perhaps there’s a new business model to be discovered here. There is parking, there is a kitchen and performance space, there is the central location able to serve both up and down-Island markets. There is also now MV Wine & Spirits which draws customers to the location, and by all appearances looks to be thriving.

In any case, here’s hoping there’s something new on the menu soon. With the location’s history, it’s bound to be greeted with applause.