CHILI’S Bar and Grill closed one of its locations and many didn’t find out until they saw U-haul vans outside.
Applebee’s rival, with more than 1,000 outlets, closed its Pittsfield, Massachusetts, store on Tuesday.
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Images shared from the closing by The Berkshire Eagle show vans outside the restaurant as workers removed the contents of the place.
Customers were left baffled by the abrupt change, with some claiming they were able to pick up food on Monday night with no warning about the closure.
“I literally ordered last night and picked it up! How could that be?” Ellie N Denny Bean wrote in the comments for a Facebook publish about closure.
“There was nothing on the doors saying they were closing! That’s crazy.”
“So sad, nothing gets here,” said another separately publish.
“Well, shit, there goes another one”, a third addedsharing a photo of U-haul vans outside the closed location.
Meanwhile, there have been repeated calls for a Texas Roadhouse or Olive Garden to take over the space.
Others were shocked by the speed of the closure, with one saying: “That didn’t take long.”
The 4,500-square-foot location had been a Chili’s since 2019, when the Tex-Mex chain replaced an Old Country Buffet location.
RETURN
The exact reason for the closure is unknown as bosses remain tight-lipped about the situation.
When the location manager was approached by The Berkshire Eagle for comment, they directed all questions to Brinker International, Chili’s parent company.
However, a Chili fan raised concerns with Brinker International after Massachusetts residents were reassured earlier this year that no closure would occur.
“I find it funny that the parent company, in April, said that the chain was doing well and that they would not close stores in Massachusetts.” they wrote in the comments on Facebook.
In April, Brinker International, which also owns Maggiano’s, was fighting rumors of bankruptcy.
Chili’s has begun closing a number of locations across the country, which has fans worried.
At the time, Brinker International said Live 95.9 that “Massachusetts Chili’s locations are not at risk of closing and third-quarter earnings were strong.”
Restaurant Closings in 2024
BOSSes of major restaurant chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The US Sun compiled a list of those affected by the network.
- Biscuit Barrel: Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina and Sacramento, California, closed.
- Mod Pizza: Bosses dramatically closed 27 stores in April, including some in the state of California.
- Frisch’s Big Boy: Restaurant bosses confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky, in April.
- Outback Steakhouse: The chain will close 41 “underperforming” locations this year.
- Two dollars: Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
- Pepper: A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has closed permanently, as has another in Irvine, California.
- Friendly: Bosses have confirmed that an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island, will close.
- Pizza Hut: A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed in late March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana.
- Danny: Two restaurants in Boise and Nampa, Idaho, have closed.
- Carl’s Jr.: The first location in Boise, Idaho, has closed.
- Inside and outside: A location in Oakland closed earlier this year due to crime in the area.
- Cheesecake Factory: The chain is expected to close a location in Memphis, Tennessee, in July.
- Applebee’s: Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
- Taco John’s: He closed a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
- Rubio’s Coastal Grill: Announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
- Burger King: It closed a California location in June after 30 years.
After the Pittsfield location closed, only 17 Chili’s locations are open across the Bay State.
DISGUSTE
A worker at the closed location thanked the chain for offering her a job that helped her study, while she called the closure “heartbreaking.”
“Who would have thought that my silly waitressing job to help me through cosmetology school would end up meaning so much to me?” Tessa Nevaeh he wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.
“In the short nine months I spent working here, I really developed a family, a home away from home. Going to work never felt like going to work here. It felt like I was just going to see my friends.
“As painful as it is to see this come to an end, I want to acknowledge the fact that I am so lucky to have something that makes saying ‘goodbye’ so difficult. Thank you, Pittsfield Chili’s.”
US Sun has reached out to Brinker International for comment.
Meanwhile, the CEO of another restaurant chain issued an ominous warning amid dozens of closures.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
