KHTS Radio Santa Clarita Radio – Santa Clarita News
Romano’s Macaroni Grill employees received a surprise Tuesday when they showed up for a mandatory meeting to find the restaurant permanently closed.
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On Tuesday morning, instead of a team meeting, employees were greeted by moving trucks, a corporate HR representative, and the company’s chief operating officer.
They were then told the restaurant would be permanently closing and their $100 severance was contingent on them signing a document prohibiting them from taking any legal action against the corporate offices, according to an employee who spoke with KHTS under anonymity.
An official from Macaroni Grill’s corporate office could not be reached for comment at the time.
Movers pack up the restaurant Tuesday morning.
Employees were given no notice of the impending closure, however, it was noted that the location’s General Manager has left roughly a month ago with no replacement from corporate.
The only other signs noted by the employee who spoke with KHTS was general neglect from the corporate offices when it came to general upkeep.
The restaurant’s computer system had been working poorly for roughly a month before the closure, at the time forcing employees to run the entire restaurant off pen and paper instead of closing for repairs, according to a former employee.
Neither of the restaurant’s floor managers were given word from corporate of the impending closure until some time Monday, leaving very little time for anyone employed at the Stevenson Ranch restaurant to search for new employment opportunities, the employee added.
Representatives told employees they would be able to apply for similar positions at other Southern California Macaroni Grill locations.
However, a majority of the restaurant’s employees are expected to be left unemployed by the end of the day due to other regional locations recently completing a round of summer hiring, as well as the recent closure of the chain’s Ventura location.
The Italian restaurant located at 25720 The Old Road, inside the Valencia Marketplace shopping center, had been open for over 16 years.
What a piece of S#$T company to do that to employees. I hope the sue the pants off Craporoni grill
So sad I got engaged here and this were we ate dinner every time we come back in town
Too bad for the employees, but I’m hopeful that a good restaurant will replace it. This is no loss for SCV!
I will be sure never to patron ANY of their restaurants (Macaroni Grill and others owned by these inconsiderate corporate jerks) Making the employees sign a waiver in order to get their lousy $100 severance? Not giving them ANY notice? This is a ROTTEN BUSINESS!
$100 compared to what they could get if they filed “wrongful Termination” against Macaroni Grill Corporate offices! That’s just wrong what they did!
I will never be eating here again at any location. To show their employees such betrayal is disgusting.
No question about it, this is a terrible business and I too will NEVER patronize any of their crappy restaurants either! Just unbelievable how they could leave their employees high and dry like that! What would it have taken for them to give everyone a heads’ up a month or two ahead of time just to be considerate? Instead, they SCREW everyone and leave ’em jobless! I still can’t believe this happened!!! ???????? As far as their cheap-ass ‘severance’ pay, if you wanna call it that, I’d say shove it where the sun don’t shine and sue ’em big-time! Hopefully, they’ll be able to get ’em that way. Just an unconscionable thing to do to good, loyal folks! This really pisses me off!!!! ????
It’s sad esp the staff here was always wonderful . Although Macaroni Grill locations has been closing for many years already. They’ve closed the one in Costa Mesa about 10 years ago and the one in Manhattan Beach 2-3 years ago. The wait time used to be an hour long to hardly anyone going to this chain anymore
It’s sad esp the staff was always wonderful . Although Macaroni Grill locations has been closing for many years already. The waits used to be an hour long to hardly anyone going to this chain anymore
The staff was wonderful. We were just there on Saturday evening. The service was excellent and the food was good. Very sorry to read about the closure.
I opened this store when it was first built as Executive Chef more than 20 years ago, corporate threatens my job most weeks , It was a very difficult company to work for. We interview enploeees in a trailer while it was being built.
See ur post – What are you doing these days if I can ask 🙂
Romano’s Macaroni Grill is a piss poor restaurant with poor service and rotten food. Had several bad experiences at MANY of these dumps around the country. If you continue to eat at these SH!TE holes then you have terrible taste and probably love Mickey D’s. Total garbage.
Did corporate make the decision to close because of an increase in expenses due to Obama Care?
THANKS OBAMA!!!
lol
#derp
I think it was because the CEO only made 20,000 an HR when the industry standard is 30,000.
Why do you awful people try to blame Obama and Hillary responsible for everything?
Lol.. just like an Obama hater. READ UP ON the companies history, it was failing for Obama.
I will never patronize a business that treats it’s employees like this. Not to mention they knowingly let it fall into disrepair while still serving customers. This is a poorly managed business.
Welcome to Trumps America, where Corporations mean more than people.
I KNEW it would be a matter of minutes until it was Trump’s fault! Hahahah! Everything is!
Ridiculous! All you people are so brainwashed and like a dog with a bone–give it up!
So sad! I received email reading “it’s hard to say goodbye…thanks for all the good times” “please visit our other locations”. Wow. We used to drive here to go to this location and recently moved to Stevenson. Bummer! Loved happy hour! 🙁 the staff was awesome and to hear corporate offered a $100 “take it and don’t sue us” with no heads up – such douchey corporate BS! cold. Calculated. Think I’ll skip one of my favorite chains in other locations. No sweat if the location was not making it. Manipulating staff for business as usual until carpet pulled is just damn cold and rude. Sad!
I loved that restaurant. It was my favorite. The Corporation, abysmal. Shameful. The whole situation is extremely sad.
Maybe signing not to take any legal action and getting the $100, also meant they were signing away their chance to get past wages they were owed.
Sounds like the $100 was an attempt at bribing the employees not to sue, disguised as a weak severance package.
This was very unfair to both to the employees and the customers. A good reason to never frequent their restaurant chain again. But also, a good reason to look for locally run independent restaurants or employee owned restaurants (like the historical Saugus Cafe and the Way station and that wonderful Mexican restaurant in Old Town Newhall. Dario’s on Lyons. Folks that own and run these restaurants would never act like this. We have a bunch of them in Santa Clarita. Small entrepreneurs that live locally and work hard. The Brick, Kathy’s delii. Don Cucos. The Chinese restaurant by the new post office in Newhall. These are some of my favorites. I am sure you know others. Why not list them here? Stay away from chains. They are bad news.
Love this!! So many restaurants closing and yes people need to remember the REAL family restaurants.
This is embarrassing. The way they closed this restaurant and the $100 for signing the waiver tells us what kind of pieces of shlt the management/ownership are. I last ate there just weeks ago and always enjoyed their food. But that’s the last time I will ever step foot in one of their restaurants. I hope employees at their other locations become aware of this and find other jobs before their time comes.
It was a good restaurant, good food too, especially when they had singing waiters. Sorry to hear this and I am sorry for the employees, I went through this myself years ago with a company I worked for. They tell you at the last minute. I am sorry Corporate did not think enough of the location to protect it from closing. You will be missed
My son worked there part time and had just showed me his work schedule. He had been pleading for more hours and they gave him another 4 hour day. Not even an hour later, I hear him screaming, No..No..No.! Mom, I’m getting all these text messages from my co-workers that they no longer had a job, they just shut them down.. These kids are heart broken and find it very depressing that they can’t find work and when they are hired, it is only part time. It’s bad enough that these jobs pays minimum wage, how can they live off of 15 to 20 hours a week.
As parents, our hearts are also heavy and hurt for these kids.
Liz
15.00 minimum wage plus tips ,health insurance & NEW STATE TAX INCREASE
I work for macaroni Grill for at least 10 years and finally left after realizing all of the top corporate pricks were in it for the money and could care less about anything but their pocketbook and egos!! They will now get what the POS deserves… The CEO and all his cronies are really a piece of work BOYCOTT MAC CRAPARONI
It sounds like something must have gone down with the franchise owner. Bad business on the corporate side for not valuing their employees.
For safety reasons food businesses close without warning. It costs much more if someone upset sbout Losing a job does something to the food and the patron sues.
Macaroni Gtill has challenges because they give away so much food. They aren’t as profitable so they can pay employees.
My daughters worked there and I’m sad to see it close for that reason…but I was amazed to order
shrimp and noodles for $12 and then try to find those baby shrimp.
What a crappy thing to do to such wonderful employees. I’ve been going to that restaurant since they first opened. I took my kids and now it’s my grandkids’ favorite. I’ve been going 2-3 times a week and will miss all the staff that I’ve come to know and care for. I will not be visiting any of their other locations. $100.00, really???? If any of the employees are reading this, please know that you are being prayed for and will be missed. Good luck with your future careers.
Two years later and the building is still empty…