No warning for Charlie Brown’s customers or employees
By Greg Forester
Staff Writer
WEST WINDSOR — “Sorry for the inconvenience, this Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse is closed.”
That was what lunch patrons arriving at the Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse in the Clarion Hotel – Palmer Inn saw Monday on two signs at the entrance of the eatery that announced the immediate closure of the restaurant.
Ongoing problems in lease negotiations were cited by company officials as the main reason for the sudden closing of the restaurant, which had been a fixture in West Windsor since the late 1980s.
”The fact is that we were in lease negotiations for over three years and came to an impasse, but we didn’t want to close by any means,” said Charlie Brown’s spokesman Rich Covey. “We had been trying for three years for a lease extension, and we could not get an agreement, so we made the move.”
The closing had nothing to do with the actual operation of the restaurant or revenues there, Mr. Covey said, citing the leasing problems.
Clarion officials could not be reached for comment on the closure of the restaurant, which is advertised as one of the hotel’s features on the company Web site.
Charlie Brown’s officials said the fact that there are other stores in the vicinity of the West Windsor location eased their decision, with the other stores providing an opportunity for both patrons who had frequented the West Windsor location and restaurant employees.
Management told employees that there would be two staff meetings held at the Charlie Brown’s in Kingston this week for employees looking to work at other Charlie Brown’s locations, or any who need to settle outstanding employment issues.
Charlie Brown’s officials said they had already worked on finding employment opportunities for West Windsor employees at other area restaurants.
”Again, we are fortunate to have all the neighboring stores,” said Mr. Covey. “Our human resources department has been working around the clock to get shift information from the surrounding locations, so employees from West Windsor can continue to work for the company.”
Representatives from the company were on location Monday afternoon to oversee the packing of restaurant equipment and company property.
Members of the restaurant’s staff were seen packing kitchen equipment and moving other pieces out of the location Monday afternoon while workers removed awnings and other pieces of the restaurant’s façade.
The restaurant’s sign on Route 1 had also been covered over with a brown tarp.
The two signs announcing the closure of the Route 1 restaurant also listed locations of other Charlie Brown’s restaurants in the surrounding area, along with phone numbers and maps for customers arriving at the restaurant.
Sales at the West Windsor location had declined in recent years as the company opened up new locations, including a location on Route 571 in East Windsor and another in Langhorne, Pa.
Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse had purchased Good Time Charley’s restaurant on Route 27 in Kingston in 2004 and converted the longtime community restaurant to a Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse.
Besides the normal restaurant operation, the restaurant also ran a daily breakfast for hotel guests, along with a catering operation that used banquet space located within the hotel.
Staff Writer Greg Forester is a part- time employee of Charlie Brown’s Steakhouse.