CHILI'S Bar and Grill has shuttered one of its locations with many not finding out until they saw U-haul vans outside.
The Applebee's rival with over 1,000 outlets closed its location in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, on Tuesday.
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Images shared of the closure by The Berkshire Eagle show U-haul vans outside the restaurant as workers removed the site's contents.
Customers have been left baffled by the abrupt move with some claiming that they had been able to pick up food on Monday night with no warning about a closure.
"I literally just ordered last night and picked it up! How can this be?" Ellie N Denny Bean wrote in the comments to a Facebook post about the closure.
"There was nothing on the doors saying they were closing! This is crazy."
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"So sad, nothing makes it here," another said in a separate post.
"Well s*** there goes another one," a third added, sharing the picture of the U-haul vans outside of the shuttered location.
Meanwhile, there were repeated calls for a Texas Roadhouse or Olive Garden to take over the space.
Others were shocked at the speed of the closure, with one saying, "That didn't take long."
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The 4,500-square-foot location had been a Chili's since 2019 when the Tex-Mex chain took over from an Old Country Buffet site.
U-TURN
The exact reason for the closure is unknown as bosses remain tight-lipped about the situation.
‘There will never be better,’ cry fans as Olive Garden rival quietly files for bankruptcy & abruptly closes 13 locations
When the manager of the location was approached by The Berkshire Eagle for comment, they directed all questions to Chili's' parent company Brinker International.
However, one Chili's fan has raised concerns with Brinker International after Massachusetts residents were reassured earlier this year that no closures would be taking place.
"Ifind it funny that the parent company, back in April, said the chain was doing well and that they were not closing stores in Mass." they wrote in the comments on Facebook.
In April, Brinker International which also owns Maggiano's was fighting bankruptcy rumors.
Chili's has started shuttering a slew of locations across the country, which had fans worried.
At the time, Brinker International told Live 95.9 that "Massachusetts Chili's locations are not in danger of closing and the third quarter earnings were strong."
Restaurant closures in 2024
BOSSES at major dining chains have announced a series of restaurant closures. The U.S. Sun has compiled a list of the chain's affected.
- Cracker Barrel:Stores in Medford, Oregon, Columbia, South Carolina, and Sacramento, California, have closed.
- Mod Pizza:Bosses dramatically shuttered 27 shops in April, including some in the state of California.
- Frisch's Big Boy:Restaurant chiefs confirmed the closure of a restaurant in Covington, Kentucky in April.
- Outback Steakhouse: The chain will shutter 41 'underperforming' locations this year.
- Two Bucks:Four restaurants in Ohio closed in April.
- Chili's:A restaurant in Port Arthur, Texas, has shut permanently as well as one in Irvine, California.
- Friendly's:Bosses confirmed an establishment in Ronkonkoma, Long Island will close.
- Pizza Hut:A restaurant in Glen Falls, New York, closed at the end of March, followed by four in Ohio in June and 15 in Indiana.
- Denny's:Two restaurants in Boise and Nampa, Idaho, have closed.
- Carl's Jr.: The first Boise, Idaho location has closed.
- In-N-Out: An Oakland location closed earlier in the year due to crime in the area.
- Cheesecake Factory: The chain is set to shutter a location in Memphis, Tennessee in July.
- Applebee's: Announced the closure of between 25 and 35 locations this year.
- Taco John's: Shuttered a restaurant in Minnesota and put the building up for sale in May.
- Rubio's Coastal Grill: Has announced the closure of 48 locations in California after filing for bankruptcy.
- Burger King: Shuttered a location in California in June after 30 years.
Following the closure of the Pittsfield location, only 17 Chili's sites are open across The Bay State.
HEARTBREAK
A worker from the shuttered location thanked the chain for offering her a job that got her through school as she called the closure "heartbreaking."
"Who would’ve thought that my silly little waitressing job to get me through cosmetology school would end up meaning so much to me?" Tessa Nevaeh wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.
"In just the short 9 months I spent working here, I truly 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 heartbreaking 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 hard. Thank you, Pittsfield Chili’s."
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The U.S. Sun has reached out to Brinker International for comment.
Meanwhile, the CEO of another restaurant chain has issued an ominous warning amid dozens of closures.
