A POPULAR comfort food restaurant has confirmed its closure in a southern state, but is yet to disclose the reason.
An employee at the location said they only found out about the closure a week before.
Rusty Bucket, which started in Columbus, Ohio, plans to close its Sarasota, Florida location — about 61 miles south of Tampa — this month, according to the Herald-Tribune.
The Sarasota location was the only one in Florida.
After persistent efforts to contact the company, the vehicle spoke to a bartender who confirmed the news.
“We are closing permanently on August 18th,” Skyler Wolf told the outlet on August 6th.
“We just found out about a week ago.”
US Sun has reached out to Rusty Bucket for comment.
‘SHARE LAUGHTER’
The restaurant started in 2002 and has grown to 20 locations in five states, according to its website.
Rusty Bucket calls itself a “casual American restaurant and tavern where people come to share laughs, smiles and great conversation over food that makes everyone happy,” according to its website.
Gary Callicoat, the founder, is known for taking the food his restaurant produces very seriously.
“We make our menu from scratch because the food is better that way,” Callicoat explained, according to the website.
“Cooking is like a dark alley. Bad things happen when you take shortcuts.”
MORE CLOSINGS
This isn’t the only restaurant closures Florida has seen this year.
In July, the Chicken Salad Chick store in Baymeadows, a suburb of Jacksonville, Florida, closed after nine years.
The restaurant, located in the Reedy Branch Commons Shopping Center, was one of more than 260 operated by the chain in 19 states.
Rusty Bucket History and Facts
The Rusty Bucket opened its first location in Dublin, OH – a suburb of Columbus – in 2002.
Since then, the “casual American restaurant and tavern” has grown to 20 locations.
Its founder, Gary Callicoat, opened the first location with the help of Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, where he started his first restaurant job as a dishwasher at age 15.
Mitchell’s helped Callicoat open its first location in 2002 and has since expanded to 20 locations in five states. However, the Sarasota, Florida location confirmed its closure in August.
The restaurant offers American classics and a wide selection of beers.
“The Bucket is a place built on friendship, where people can meet, eat and drink, and share stories. Everyone is welcome here, and some even say we are a grown-up place to bring kids,” Callicoat said. .
According to Rusty Bucket
Customers were informed of the abrupt closure by a sign taped to the door.
“We look forward to opening new Chicken Salad Chick locations in the Jacksonville market to better serve our guests,” the sign read.
However, it did not disclose the reason for the sudden closure, but instead customers were directed to the nearest location, six miles away.
Customers were saddened by the news that the food “hit the mark”.
“Something I never knew I needed before moving to Florida. It’s perfect for a weeknight lunch.
“What a bummer! We were there and it was really good! That’s sad,” added another.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story