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Yeaple recently closed Poppy's Burgers and Fries, which was located on Main Street in Beacon.
"It was just a personal choice, it wasn't a financial choice," Paul Yeaple, a lifelong Beacon resident, said.
At Poppy's, Yeaple insisted on promoting environmentalism, supporting local businesses and the humane treatment of animals.
"I was trying to push an agenda and get people to have these conversations," Yeaple said.
Continuing to run a restaurant in Beacon would've made it difficult for Yeaple to expand the restaurant and advance his causes, he said.
"Physically it's painful and hard to do over a long period of time," Yeaple said. "I needed to re-examine what I was trying to accomplish The business had just run its course and it was diminishing returns. We weren't going to create change from that location."
Yeaple is hoping to sell the building and reinvest in the concept but in a different location- like Poughkeepsie, Kingston or Newburgh.
"I'm looking for a more affordable situation," Yeaple said. "Beacon has matured. When I started Poppys eight years ago there was no local food anywhere in Beacon. Now it's abundant. Maybe we can go to another town and help incubate a better food situation for them too.
Yeaple said offering table service also caused issues at the Beacon location, and sometimes the restaurant ended up wasting food.
"Beacon is tough," Yeaple said. "You'd have lackluster weekdays but then you'd have gangbuster weekends where you couldn't turn over tables fast enough. The restaurant industry is physically and mentally difficult."
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