Friday, November 21, 2008

TWO RYAN'S RESTAURANTS CLOSE

BREAKING NEWS -

I have heard from a former Ryans employee in Georgia who has just lost his job when the Ryan's Buffet closed in Buford, Georgia on November 18, 2008. He said that he also learned that another Ryan's was closed in Athens, Georgia on the same day.

This distraught former employee could not understand the closing of his restaurant as this Ryan's recently hired a new manager and business was beginning to improve. The statement by Buffets, Inc. initially was that the Ryan's stores were not making money. Here is a store that has started to make money again and it is closed. Several of the Ryan's managers who have commented on this site have said that their restaurants were threatened and their restaurants were high income producers. The saddest thing is that another company approached Buffets, Inc. and the Bankruptcy Court to take over these Ryan's Restaurants and keep them open - with a generous offer made to Buffets, Inc. As I have formerly reported, Buffets, Inc. turned down the offer.

Is this the beginning of the closings of the restaurants in this chain that Buffets, Inc. was directed by the Federal Bankruptcy Court to keep open? For a number of weeks I have not heard from Ryans employees and managers who had been commenting on the several articles regarding the problems at Ryan's restaurants and Buffets Inc. who had intended to close them (but were stopped by the Court). I had assumed that things had somewhat settled down and that the restaurants and their employees were no longer living under a threat. Perhaps that was a wrong assumtion to make, as this new news is most distressing.

As this former Ryan's worker stated (you can read his comment in Breaking News - OCB Wants to Close 127 Ryans" article) - this is a terrible economic time to be out of work and have to look for a job. With the Holidays upon us it is even more terrible.

My heart goes out to all those who lost thier jobs at these two Ryan's restaurants. I would like to hope that these would be the only Ryan's closed but I, sadly, hate to say that probably will not be.

If any of my Ryan's employees readers are reading this, please comment and let us know how your location is doing and what the most recent news is in the Bankruptcy/Closing proceedings.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Don't know if the 15 to 20 restaurants that were closed in November were part of the 127 you questioned. I did see that the company posted a $52 million loss for the 3rd qtr. Have to assume, with this poor performance, it is very possible for them to go from chapter 11 to chapter 7 after January.

Writer said...

15 - 20 restaurants closed! Oh my!

Chapter 7 and a complete close down of Buffets, Inc would be tragic for so many!

Paul - Kmart World/Retail World said...

Well the Buford Ryans was the one I always ate at. They just sent me an email today saying the restaurant had closed and to visit another Ryans nearby. It's sad cause Ryan's has been my favorite buffet since I was a little kid eating at them in Florida. Anyways that Ryan's always seemed to be busy and its located right next to Interstate 985, so its closing seems puzzling. They closed the Ryan's in Duluth, Ga earlier this year which was another Ryans I ate at and it was another one that seemed to always be busy and it was located right off of Interstate 85. I wish Buffet, Inc never had bought Ryans.

Anonymous said...

They closed cookeville, TN today. Three days before Christmas. Seems like they could have been more compasionate & waited till Christmas Eve.

Paul - Kmart World/Retail World said...

heres a pic of the closed buford Ryan's I took-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v280/dmx10101/IMG00008.jpg

Anonymous said...

These stores were closed over the past weekend. I don't believe the store closings are finished. I believe they are supposed to come out of bankruptcy at the end of January, so we will see.

Mansfield/Ontario, OH
Easley, SC
Danville, IL

Anonymous said...

This is one more major hurdle to Buffets coming out of chapter 11.

EEOC Wants Buffets' Reorganization Blocked
Law360, New York (January 28, 2009) -- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Tuesday objected to Buffets Holdings Inc.'s reorganization plan, saying that under the plan the commission would not be allowed to pursue two claims against Buffets in California and Kentucky.

In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, the EEOC called Buffets' restructuring plan “infeasible as proposed.”...

Writer said...

Thanks for the updates! Keep them coming.

Anonymous said...

I've insight to share since this HEARTLESS company just told my husband who devoted his ENTIRE being to them for 20 YEARS that he was no longer needed; they gave no reason, just a piece-of-paper with instructions of what to do upon termination. Nope, he's getting not a dime in severance (like all the others before him were awarded).

What confuses me most: HE WAS NUMBER ONE IN THE COUNTRY LAST WEEK! UP IN SALES TOO! SO MANY CORP/EXEC ACCOLADES, WE LOST ROOM ON OUR WALLS FOR HIS AWARDS!!

If this company is REALLY trying to make it through this, letting go someone who was actually saving the stores, ya know, the execs can't seem to achieve yet whine about daily, why? Why be so STUPID?

IMHO, I think I know why? This company is about to completely fold all of the Ryan's & Fire Mountains so THEY can flourish again without competition!

Added info about closing: last week another one of their restaurants was shut-down unannounced. Left many unknowing Cincy peeps jobless (but at least THESE employees were offered a reason, severance and some were even placed in other positions within the company).

I FIRMLY believe all this has been a ploy! BUFFETS INC BOUGHT-OUT THE RYANS MARKET WITH JUST THE INTENT TO SIMPLY & PURPOSELY RUN RYANS/FIRE MOUNTAINS INTO THE GROUND AS THEY WERE THEIR ONLY TRUE COMPETITORS.

Afterward, what's left in it for the loyal Ryan's/Fire Mountain customers? Oh those great "Old Country Buffet" & "Hometown Buffets", for starters, ya know those places where you get complementary roaches with your meals! SHOCKED? Oh don't be! Let me enlighten you as to MY last "Old Country Buffet" visit. The staff was unaware of who I was and the stature of my husband and treated me as they would you, the "common" customer. Imagine MY shock when a roach climbed up on my table and toward my plate. I asked to speak to a manager to which I was informed one was not on duty (which is AGAINST PROTOCOL and I felt a blatant lie) and they apologized they were unable to refund my money, I left embarrassed for them AND my hubby for being affiliated with such filthy conditions (remember, Ryan's was NOT part of the Buffet family until just a few years ago). Mind you, I'm not exaggerating or making up tales out of anger -- as proof, I was written to not long ago from a patron of "Old Country Buffet" who, knowing my relation with the company, wanted to share their experience with me. Unknowing to what I had endured and despite she dined at an entirely different Old Country Buffet, during her visit, yep another roach CRAWLED up her brothers arm during their meal! *YUCK* I will NEVER dine at one of these restaurants EVER again despite the 3rd-time is known as a charm -- two separate "OCB" sites both with roach issues, pullleeze cannot tell me the corp execs are not aware of their insect infestation issues and makes me wonder what the Board of Health does these days. But please, don't take MY word for it, go ahead, be brave, patronize these Buffet restaurants. But remember this comment when you find yourself enjoying their yummy mashed taters yet you bite into something crunchy, whoops, too late! (don't expect a refund either)

Tis again in my most humble opinion I speak-out to all of those FAITHFUL & long-term Ryan's employees who are STILL working their rears off trying to save that company, forget it, they don't want saved!! HELLO!! Best advice to y'all, quit NOW while there are still some jobs to be had, let Buffets rot in the grave they've dug for Ryan's. Or stay on but have no fear, I'm privy and y'all are going to be next and since you're the last batch to go, you probably will go without that nice severance you've been hearing others bragging about! *WARNING YOU!* If not, stay at you own risk but don't blame me -- I warned ya!

I hope Fortress buys Ryans away from the greedy (and obviously hidden-agenda heartless greedy driven) folks of Buffets so that THEY can do BUFFETS in, into that grave THEY deserve!

Signed,

A devoted wife of the MOST devoted Ryan's employee ever who is sickened by the lack-of-respect they showed him despite last week, he was their "IT" guy and made them a profit!!!! (LIARS LIARS AND THEY SHOULD BE REFUSED THIS RESTRUCTURING BANKRUPTCY - all execs need to be cut off immediately, no severance, company cars & planes need to go, they're lying to America and taking advantage of our "bankruptcy" system! If they've enough money to feed all of those roaches, they're financially sound enough to make ends-meet without using tax payers money)

P.S.: NONE OF YOUR JOBS WITH THIS COMPANY ARE SAFE, NONE! I SUGGEST YOU LOOK FOR EMPLOYMENT IMMEDIATELY!!! HECK I WOULDN'T BE SHOCKED IF ALL RYANS/FIRE MOUNTAIN STORES ARE PAD-LOCKED AS EARLY AS TOMORROW! DON'T WANT YOUR FAMILY TO STARVE, HIT THE PAVEMENT AND GIVE YOUR NOTICE - THIS COMPANY CARES LESS ABOUT YOU, I ASSURE YOU!

Writer said...

I am so sorry that your family has to endure this. No employer should treat any employee this way.

Anonymous said...

As well as I know Ryan's operations I have to assume this womans husband was fired for a reason that she is not aware of.

Anonymous said...

They're at it again. On March 15 more stores are being closed Ryans in Gadsden, Al. and Ryans in Lancaster, SC were closed. Trying to find out if anymore were closed today. This is not a stable company. I worked for them twice - Once as Ryans and once as Old Country Buffets. Ryans had direction, cared about the customer and the employees and cared about their store's condition. OCB just looks at the bottom line. They don't care about anything but money - unfortunately that is the trend today. Companies look at the bottom line and all they think is close the store and cut the loss. When in reality, the under-performing stores are a mirror image of their direction or lack of and company practices. It shows up in smaller stores and markets quicker than in larger ones. OCB needs to look at themselves instead of their stores. Find their problems, correct them, then put proper practices in their stores. They want to compete with newer, fancier stores - but don't want to make the improvements at store level to make them competitive. They put fancy spice racks in old run down stores and don't know why it didn't work. They are constantly changing recipes that customers like to ones that are labor intensive and not that good and wonder why a cook that makes a tad more than minimum wage - can't adhere to the recipe. They make cashiers (minimum wage again)to force customers to buy beverages (high profit) to add $2 each to a bill. If they fail to maintain a sales quotas, they are replaced. I can tell you from experience that you can go to work for McDonalds and make more money and have 1/2 the responsibility. These under-performing stores are a sign of things to come and I don't feel the sign will be read.

Anonymous said...

We ate at Ryan's in Gadsden,
like it there.
We will miss it.

Anonymous said...

Has anyone heard anything about the store in Stockbridge, Ga., or Griffin, Ga.?