Dozens of restaurant workers in Kansas City suddenly found themselves out of work this week after eight Applebee’s locations closed overnight.

The restaurants were all owned by a single franchise group, Apple Central KC, which filed for bankruptcy that week.

The layoffs came as a surprise to employees, many of whom were scheduled to work the same day.

Jae Moyer worked as a server and bartender at the Mission location for five years. However, they learned that the restaurant was closed through a group chat with their co-workers. Originally, the group chat was created to make changing shifts easier.

“But it also gives us a sense of family,” Moyer said. “We would share jokes and memes. We would just talk about our days, talk about our shifts, talk about our regulars.

However, on Wednesday morning, a manager gave the news that the restaurant would not open.

“So there were a few people coming to work and there was literally a sign on the door that said, ‘Hey, this location is permanently closed,'” Moyer said. “It was just a shock to all of us.”

Applebee’s staff had no prior indication that the franchise was in trouble, Moyer said.

“We were literally open the night before,” Moyer said. “This closure decision caught us off guard.”

In fact, Moyer said October was one of the busiest months they’ve ever seen, thanks to sales of specialty Halloween cocktails.

Later Wednesday, Apple Central finally notified employees that they would be laid off.

The franchise group, a subsidiary of a Connecticut company, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

However, some questions of employees remain unanswered. Moyer said his co-workers did not have access to personal items left at Applebee’s. Employees who receive their paychecks in person are unsure how they will receive their final payment.

Royal Ford had been working with Moyer since August. Like Moyer, he was shocked to lose his job so suddenly, but he’s already started looking for a new one.

“I am currently looking for another job. Part-time DoorDashing,” Ford said, “Just trying to figure out how to make a living.”

Apple Center KC filed for bankruptcy in Kansas. The franchise group has debts of between $10 million and $50 million, according to its filings. Its current assets are worth between $1 million and $10 million.

This isn’t the first controversy the franchise group has been involved in.

Apple Central has closed permanently shawnee And Lenexa places last year. And the company came under fire in 2022 after an executive’s email suggested paying employees less because inflation meant they would accept lower wages. leaked. The person who sent the email was fired.

Moyer claimed that Apple Central is not hands-on with its restaurants.

“I’ve never worked with anyone where I was who wasn’t a hard worker and didn’t care about what we were doing there,” Moyer said. “And I think the least the franchisee of the company could have done was to support us in that and make us feel like they had our back and that it never went unrewarded.”

Only two Applebee’s remain open in the Kansas City area: locations in Blue Springs and Gladstone. These locations are owned by Applebee’s, not Apple Central.

A manager at the Gladstone location said he’s noticed a little more traffic since the other Applebee’s closed and expects it to increase even more. The Blue Springs manager declined to comment.

Applebee’s President Tony Moralejo told KCUR that these closings do not mean the end of the chain’s presence in the Kansas City area. center for decades Before setting off in 2015.

“We continue to believe that the Kansas City area is a great neighborhood for Applebee’s restaurants,” Moralejo said. “We are exploring options for the future of these restaurants.”

Applebee’s locations that have been closed include:

• 3404 Rainbow Boulevard, Kansas City, Kansas
• 1700 Village West Parkway, Kansas City, Kansas
• 6800 Johnson Drive, Mission
• 11000 Metcalf Boulevard, Overland Park
• 16110 W. 135th St., Olathe
• 2912 S. 4th St., Leavenworth
• 9330 East 350 Freeway, Raytown
• 1501 NE Douglas St., Lee Summit