Video Story
Watch VideoBennigan's employees reaction to lay off
Story By: Rachel Hoffenberg
Source: KOAA
Published Tue Jul 29, 2008, 03:08 PM MDT
Updated Tue Jul 29, 2008, 10:43 PM MDT
Colorado’s Bennigan's restaurants are closed. Metromedia Restaurant Group in Texas, which owns eleven Bennigan's restaurants in Colorado, told its managers to lock the doors Tuesday morning. There are two locations in Colorado Springs. Employees are now without work.
Bennigan's customers were shocked to find their lunch spot closed without warning. Todd Dicamillo says, "I'm at Bennigans and I just found out that they just closed their store this morning. They didn't let anybody know. Ya, can you believe that?"
And the customers weren't the only ones wondering what was going on. Employee, Michael Owens, says "I'm a little angry about that. That's just kind of like shooing us off away. Like we're nothing." Owens transferred from a Bennigan's in Texas. It was supposed to be his first day of work. "I think I deserve the simple respect of saying, hey we're closed sorry. Here's some references. Here's something. But I don't see why they're not answering the doors."
Jacquelyn McGuinness has worked here for a year and a half. "It's hard to even fathom what's going on right now." As a single mother, Bennigan's was her only source of income. She says she's not only worried about the fact she doesn't have a job, but she's afraid that she might not get her paycheck this Friday. "I can't take care of my daughter."
Former employees tell us the restaurant just got in two new flat screens and had ordered three more to be placed on the patio for the U.S. Senior Open.
This move effects about 150 company owned Bennigan’s across the country. There are another 160 or so that are owned by private individuals that they will remain open. Local managers or the corporate office has not commented on the number of employees out of a job in the Springs.
