CRESTVIEW — Fans of the Beef ’O’ Brady's sports bar in the Big Lots shopping center were disappointed to hear the restaurant, which has served the Crestview area for 11 years, will close at 11 p.m. March 30.
"They (the owners) just decided to close down," manager Connie Allen said.
Donna, a server who worked at the restaurant for seven years, said "the economy" was the official reason for the eatery's closing. Employees were informed of the closing Wednesday night, and were offered "no severance pay, no nothin,'" said Donna, who would not disclose her last name.
Allen, who has worked for the restaurant for 10 years, said Friday that 20 employees will become unemployed.
Fans of the restaurant, locally known simply as "Beef's," like its informal atmosphere, festooned with sports memorabilia and team pennants while sporting events played on multiple televisions.
As word got out the establishment was closing, many customers flocked to get their last plates of burgers and wings.
"We're kind of busy today because everybody knows about it (the closing)," Allen said Friday.
Donna said regulars have been sympathetic and she thanked them for their support over the years.
"Everybody knows our business and has been very, very good to us," she said.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Twenty Beef 'O' Brady's employees lose jobs; no notice or severance