DUNCAN, Okla_Dozens of Golden
Corral employees in Duncan
are out a job and they didn't have much warning. Just before closing Sunday
night, the owners told their 45 workers they were shutting the restaurant's
doors for good. Now, one of the employees is speaking out, trying to figure out
why the owners couldn't give workers more of a heads up, before making a
drastic decision.
Owner Cindy Hale
said she and her husband could no longer afford the lease on the building. She said
if workers would have found out it were coming to an end, they feared the
restaurant would've struggled to stay open as long as it did. Still, one
employee, who didn't want to be identified, said the owners should have trusted
the staff to make it through the tough time.
A construction
crew removed the gold letters and lights that spell out Golden Corral. A former
baker for the restaurant said she found out from a co-worker Sunday night she
was out of a job this morning.
"Four
weeks before Christmas, so, Merry Christmas."
The abrupt
decision now puts the entire financial burden on her husband.
"Right now
I'm still in shock. My husband has a job but their hours got cut two months ago
it's going to be extremely tough and extremely hard."
She said even
though there's nothing that can be done now, more of a heads up would've been
nice.
"We should
have all been told together and as professionals as adults we have been given
that opportunity, whether it had been last night or two weeks to be given that
chance to start finding jobs now to give us a heads up."
Owner Cindy Hale
said she didn't tell the 45 workers sooner, out of fear they would walk out
before the doors were actually closed.
"As with
most restaurants as soon as you tell people that you're going to be closing
down, you will lose people, and this kind of restaurant, you can't operate. If
you lose a third of your people or more, you can't operate."
She didn't say how
long ago they reached the decision to shut the restaurant down, she said she
has been on her hands and knees for her workers.
"The point
that we knew we were going to close our doors, we have been praying to God to
provide jobs for people and we have several people that did find jobs."
Hale said she
and her husband haven't figured out what they will do next. They are currently
working with other Golden Corrals to find some of their 45 former workers
employment.
