As customers arrived Tuesday morning (June 25) at the Festus Ryan's buffet, 331 N. Creek Drive, they were greeted with the news that the restaurant is closed.
The Ryan's restaurant in Farmington also closed Tuesday morning. Both restaurants are owned by Buffets Inc., based in South Carolina. Both restaurants officially announced their closures at employee meetings Tuesday morning.
A sign on the Festus restaurant door told customers that the Festus location is permanently closed and asked customers to consider trying the HomeTown Buffet in south St. Louis County.
Ryan's cashier Pat Poynter stood outside the restaurant explaining to customers that the restaurant is closed.
"They decided not to renegotiate the lease," she said.
Employees were called to a mandatory staff meeting at 8 a.m. Tuesday, when the closure was announced. However, several people learned of the decision early and posted messages on social media websites, like Facebook.
According to the Buffets Inc. website, Buffets Inc., had 347 stores in 35 states and employed about 18,000 people. The company owns Ryan's, Old Country Buffet, HomeTown Buffet, Fire Mountain, Country Buffet and other restaurants across the country.
Read more in this week's Jefferson County Leader newspaper.
Front page photo: Trucks take equipment and food away from restaurant Tuesday morning; Customers were greeted by this sign on the restaurant's door.