Johnson City Lone Star Closes Abruptly

By Nate Morabito
Reporter / WJHL
Published: July 15, 2008

The Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon located at Roan Centre in Johnson City posted a sign on its door Monday thanking customers for their business and revealing the restaurant was closed for good. It took 16 years to build up the steakhouse’s clientele, but only a couple of hours Tuesday to remove all signs it had ever been there. When Lone Star shut its doors Monday, it came as a complete shock to employees; not because the restaurant closed, but because it closed without any warning.

“Last week I was promised a raise and today, well you can see, they’re shutting the store down,” former cook and dishwasher Eddie Baird said.

Baird says he and the other employees worked extra to clean up the store Sunday night. He says they were told the owners were making a visit Monday. Former cook Joel Tester says he was scheduled to work Monday.

“It’s crazy you know, you show up for work and the next thing you know the doors are shut, no job, no warning, nothing,” Tester said.

Lone Star spokesman Rick Van Warner says the company’s lease was up, so Lone Star decided the best business decision was to close up shop.

“Despite the best efforts of the team in that location, the restaurant was underperforming,” Van Warner said.

So how does the company justify closing the store without any notice?

“You can’t close a restaurant with two weeks notice, that would be impractical,” Van Warner said. Van Warner says if that happened, management would never know if employees would show up to work to serve the restaurant’s guests.

Van Warner says all 50 employees that worked at the Johnson City Lone Star location received separation pay. The company also says all managers have accepted transfer opportunities. Van Warner says the company has no plans to close any other stores in the Tri-Cities.

That said, Eddie Baird stills thinks it was bad business the way his Lone Star career ended.

“It blows my mind that a company would shut their doors that quick and not give us a warning,” Baird said.