AN O’Charley’s restaurant has closed its doors for good as bosses admitted the decision was difficult.
The eatery in Prattville, Alabama is just the latest of the casual dining chain’s restaurants to shut.
Bosses confirmed that the restaurant shut up shop for the final time on September 17.
A note posted on the door of the establishment thanked customers for their patronage, as reported by the NBC affiliate WSFA.
W. Craig Barber, the CEO of the chain, said: “We sincerely appreciate our loyal guests who have visited us at this location while also being deeply grateful for the outstanding work of our operating team.”
Barber alluded to challenges the restaurant chain has faced in recent years.
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O’Charley’s chiefs have shuttered more than a dozen restaurants in recent months.
The outlet Restaurant Business reported that 18 closed in one day.
The chain, whose competitors include Applebee’s, has 90 restaurants nationwide and a presence in more than a dozen states.
Barber told Restaurant Business that closures were necessary as part of the company’s plans for future growth.
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He said: “We likened it a little bit to pruning the vines at a winery.
They do that every year. You get a better higher quality grape, you get more growth, and you have to do it for the health of the vineyard overall.”
An O’Charley’s restaurant in Pearl, Mississippi – a suburb of Jackson – closed on August 20, and the chain’s restaurant in Dayton, Ohio has also shut.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that two O’Charley’s restaurants in the city have permanently closed.
Last month, an O’Charley’s restaurant in Noblesville, Indiana also shut its doors for the final time.
One employee told the Indianapolis ABC affiliate WRTV that the restaurant had become their “second home.”
They said: “I’ve pretty much gave them my everything. It became my second home and when people get evicted from their home they at least give them like 30 days notice. We were given less than 24 hours.”
The brand’s restaurants in Avon and Lafayette, Indiana have also closed.
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O’Charley’s has been part of the American dining scene since 1971.
The U.S. Sun has approached O'Charley's for comment.
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