![Signs on the front door at Ryan's Steakhouse offered little insight to the location's abrupt closure. [MARK JUDSON/NEWS BULLETIN]](http://127.0.0.1/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/ghows-DA-4bbc6444-7fb2-6e56-e053-0100007f7522-44194dda.jpeg)
CRESTVIEW — Ryan’s Steakhouse at 3000 S. Ferdon Blvd. closed its doors for the final time Sunday evening.
The restaurant has been shut down, according to a statement from its corporate offices.
“This [closure] was a business decision and is in no way a reflection of the hard work of the location’s management or employees,” the statement from Ryan’s corporate management read. “We appreciate the community’s patronage and hope to serve you at one of our other locations in the future.”
No other statement or additional comments were made.
“This store is now closed,” read several signs on the location’s doors, offering no insight or information on the reason.
Food Management Partners, which owns the Ryan’s chain as well as other buffet restaurants, closed 74 restaurants in February 2016. Several more closures occurred the following month.
FMP bought Ovation Brands — which oversees Ryan’s — in March 2016, and the company declared bankruptcy that month.
The Crestview and Pace locations escaped the ax during the mass closure but the restaurant chain’s Pensacola location was shut down. The Pace location is still open for business, according to the company’s website.
Ryan’s in Crestview recently faced health department issues including five complaint-driven inspections in the past 16 months by the Florida Department of Business Regulation and three since February.
A Feb. 16 inspection flagged the company for 29 violations; an inspection the following day found 24 violations.
A passing inspection was conducted March 1, when seven violations were found but none considered “high priority.”
Growth Management Director Teresa Gaillard confirmed Chick-fil-A is in the early stages of building a location on the site. The company has been filing paperwork and will undergo its first technical review meeting with the city in April. Current plans state the restaurant will accommodate approximately 130 people, according to Gaillard.
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story reported no information regarding a possible Chick-fil-A location was known. This story has been updated to reflect that information.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Ryan's closes; Chick-fil-A makes plans