SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- 55 Degrees, an upscale eatery on Sacramento's Capitol Mall, will shut down today as a result of tough economic times.

Owner Ali Mackani said the costs of food, fuel and other expenses are making it difficult to make a profit in the downtown area.

The restaurant was also counting on a surge of customers spilling over from two downtown building projects that never materialized.

Lunch has been busy at the restaurant, but crowds were light for dinner. The eatery sits among a stretch of office buildings west of the state Capitol. The area is largely deserted after 5 p.m. on weekdays.

Mackani said the decision to open 55 Degrees was easy a few years ago at a time when building projects promised to bring foot traffic into the area. But times have changed.

"People don't want to hear that you're closing, you know," Mackani said.

Mackani has not given up on the restaurant business. He is now working on Lounge On 20, a new midtown eatery at 20th and K streets, an area of the city that sees big crowds during the monthly Second Saturday art walk.

Fins, a seafood restaurant, is also closing two locations, including its eatery at 19th and R streets.