NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — O’Charley’s restaurants are now closed, according to employees, leaving longtime workers suddenly searching for what comes next.
At the O’Charley’s location in Bellevue, Bambi Jones said the closure ended a 17-year career with the restaurant with little warning.
“They’re throwing us away like we’re nothing,” Jones said. For nearly two decades, Jones said her coworkers and regular customers became like a second family. She knew the restaurant had been struggling, but she did not expect her time there to end so abruptly.
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“I know business was slowing down, and I knew it would come to an end at some point, sure, but didn’t think it would abruptly end with no notice,” Jones said. “I thought we were valued as people a little bit more.”
The warning signs were there. In its second-quarter earnings report, O’Charley’s majority owner, Cannae Holdings, said the restaurant chain continued to struggle with customer traffic. Same-store sales declined 13% during the quarter.
Cannae said it was working to stabilize sales through menu engineering and improvements to guest service while continuing to close underperforming locations.
Jones said employees at her restaurant learned Monday through an outside source that the restaurant was closing. She said staff members were not supposed to find out until the doors were locked Wednesday.
“I wish I would’ve known in enough time to try and maybe work a few extra shifts to get extra income before I don’t have it coming in,” Jones said.
Even the final shift ended earlier than Jones had hoped. She said the restaurant began running out of food as customers came to say goodbye.
“I ran to management and begged to just keep the doors open,” Jones said. “Even if we are running out of food, that’s OK. They’re not coming for food. They’re coming to say goodbye to the employees, to me, to each other.”
Jones said employees have been told they will receive severance packages, although she is waiting to see what that will mean for her.
“They said we’re receiving a severance package,” Jones said. “It’s definitely not enough compensation from what I’ve been told, but I won’t believe it until I receive a package.”
NewsChannel 5 has reached out to O’Charley’s corporate office multiple times seeking more information about the closures and how employees are being affected but has not received a response.
Since the Bellevue restaurant closed, Jones said people in the community have reached out with job opportunities and even offers of financial help. She said she believes she will be OK.
While she had hoped for a different ending after 17 years, Jones wants the customers she got to know over the years to know how much they meant to her.
“It’s not goodbye,” Jones said. “We will have a new chapter of all our lives together somewhere else.” Bambi's family has started a GoFundMe for her and her daughter.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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