ONE city's final outlet of a beloved restaurant chain has closed after more than 50 years of service.
Southern comfort food staple Piccadilly Cafeteria shuttered its final location in Jacksonville, Florida, leaving customers speechless and in tears.
The final day of service saw guests filling the halls of the restaurant at suppertime with staples like fried chicken, carrot souffle, and mac & cheese flying out of the kitchen.
Some came as a final show of support for the chain while others said goodbye to the restaurant staff who had become like family, The Florida Times-Union reported.
"We're devastated too... I'm still speechless," restaurant manager Tess Brown, who had been with Piccadilly since 2007, told the outlet.
Brown said the staff was hit with the shocking news that their location would be closing on Monday morning, but an exact reason was not given.
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Corporate officials with the chain confirmed the closure but also would not comment on what led to the abrupt decision.
"We would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude to all our loyal customers as well as our team members and management that contributed to Piccadilly’s success for well over 50 years in the Jacksonville community," said Callie Tucker, director of marketing for Piccadilly Cafeterias.
According to Brown, around 18 people worked at the restaurant, with some being there for over 40 years.
For some neighborhood residents, the closure means a piece of history is gone.
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"I'm just in shock. But hey, it happens. All the other Piccadilly stores have closed, too, in Jacksonville," Max New, who has been living in the town since the 1960s, said.
"This is the last one. Yep, I've been concerned about if it had enough business to sustain it," he said.
He said the restaurant had been a staple since his wife died a few years ago.
Mainly based in the Southeast, Piccadilly Restaurants was founded in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1944.
At one point, the chain had a whopping 270 locations, but poor performance led the company to file for bankruptcy in 2003.
As of September 2023, the chain owned just 29 locations in Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia.
The shocking closure came as Boston Market's final spot shut down in Toledo, Ohio.
Known for its rotisserie meals, the chain also didn't note a specific reason for its closing — similar to Piccadilly.
Problems had reportedly been brewing amid the restaurant chain's operations for some time.
A former general manager of the location in Toledo called out the company for allegedly paying employees up to three weeks late.
"For the whole time I was there, we hadn't gotten paid on time," Jeremy Dukeshire told local CBS outlet WTOL.
"There were a lot of promises it would get better every paycheck and it would get worse and worse, and when we did get it, we were missing money."
In an even more unsettling claim, Dukeshire continued that the company even supposedly stopped paying for dumpster services.
Employees then got sick from moldy and spoiled food, according to the former general manager.
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In related news, a fast-food chain with 1,800 outlets has shuttered yet another location after filing for bankruptcy.
It came after a popular hardware store is set to shut its doors for good after nearly 100 years in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
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