Popular upscale restaurant abruptly closes after brunch and staff say they were 'given no notice'

A POPULAR upscale restaurant temporarily shuttered its doors, and staff are saying they received no notice that the eatery would be closing within just 24 hours.

Wolfgang Puck Players Locker, a key dining institution in the Summerlin neighborhood of Las Vegas, saw its last day serving customers on July 30.

The restaurant closed right after brunch, and employees were shocked to find out the eatery was closing the day of.

Some employees even said they attended the staff meeting believing they’d be working the dinner shift later that day, Eater Las Vegas reported.

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Thomas Kaplan, a senior managing partner in the Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, which runs more than 50 restaurants worldwide, confirmed the closure is only temporary, however.

While Wolfgang was slated to close later in the summer for renovations, but the summer’s slow season and hot weather caused the plans to occur earlier than expected.

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“The sooner we close, the sooner we can reopen,” Kaplan told the publication.

The restaurant first opened in February 2020, just a month before the coronavirus pandemic disrupted the restaurant industry.

The sports bar was originally conceived as a spot to watch the Vegas Golden Knights games.

Over time, the restaurant transformed into the more sophisticated location it is today, with leather seating and a wide range of cocktails.

Another Wolfgang Puck restaurant, Lupo, closed at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino this year as well.

“As part of the repositioning ahead of the Super Bowl, they asked us to re-concept Lupo and do something fresh,” Kaplan said.

The Lupo closure is slated for around Labor Day and will come out as a new restaurant with an entirely different concept.

Bartender Alicia Schulz said the closure came as a shock to the majority of employees during July’s staff meeting.

“We were told it was closed as of this moment,” Alicia told the publication. “We’re welcome to apply at other Wolfgang restaurants and can text managers about rehiring. But we’re losing all out PTO. It’s not getting cashed out.”

Other employees were also frustrated by the sudden change of plans.

“We were excited to work at other properties and then come back,” server Katherine Urbina. “Then on Sunday they told us this is your final day.” 

A few days after it closed, on August 2, Players Locker sent out further correspondence that all earned and unpaid PTO balances would be included in the final payroll, however.

Meanwhile, employees at Lupo have also been informed that the restaurant will close September 3, and all accrued PTO will also be paid out.

Once Players Locker reopens, it will serve both Italian and Mediterranean dishes with Asian and American influences.

Kaplan said the company didn’t want to make a big “to-do” with a formal closing event and instead just focus on getting the renovations done as soon as possible.

“Fortunately, we have other restaurants and people can rebound,” Kaplan told Eater. “Post-COVID, there’s a lot of restaurants looking and hotels looking for staff. I don’t want to say it’s easy to get a job but I think if you can get another job for a few months, I’m sure it will be fine.”

While servers will now have to look for jobs elsewhere, they will also miss the regulars that frequented the Las Vegas restaurant.

“We had regular guests weekly or multiple times a week,” Alica said. “It was a community there.”

CLOSURES NATIONWIDE

While Players Locker’s closure is temporary in nature, many restaurants have been struggling to stay afloat due to changing market conditions.

In the fallout of the coronavirus, many restaurants suffered with staffing shortages and low sales as people hunkered down at home.

Coming out of the pandemic, rising inflation and economic uncertainty kept consumer spending low even as leases and food prices remained high.

Several Hardee’s closed down last week as a franchisee filed for bankruptcy in Wyoming.

And earlier this year, two Burger King and one Popeyes franchise also filed for bankruptcy.

Stemming from the bankruptcies, Burger King has said it could be closing 400 locations this year.

Meanwhile, famous sandwich chain Subway has closed over 1,000 locations in recent years due to continuing financial struggles.

Retailers have also suffered due to lower foot traffic in brick and mortar stores.

Aldi shuttered a store in Rensselaer, New York on July 26.

After this, the small town, located just across the Hudson River from Albany, now has zero major grocery stores.

Aldi also closed its doors in Canton, Ohio as several other grocers cut down on the number of underperforming stores in their fleets.

One of the greatest indicators of the current retail apocalypse today is shown in the number of bankruptcies filed by once thriving chain stores.

Home goods giant Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy this year and will now see all of its stores close this year.

While Bed Bath & Beyond’s intellectual property was acquired by Overstock for $21.5million, all storefronts will be abandoned as the company becomes a fully online entity.

Party City and Tuesday Morning also filed for bankruptcy and plan to close stores all across the country.

A popular sushi restaurant also closed down in Phoenix.

Applebee’s has also warned more store closures will be arriving this year.