Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen abruptly shuts down with no warning; employees furious
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FOLEY, Ala. (WKRG) — The entire staff at Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen at OWA is without jobs after the restaurant closed its doors for good Wednesday morning.
Employees showed up for work just to be told to hand in their keys and leave with no answers as to why.
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Stacy Schukraft was a line cook at Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen. She arrived at work Wednesday morning to start her shift just like any other day when she walked into unexpected news.
“I was told we was shutting down for good,” Schukraft said. “I was told to hand the keys over and to follow a gentleman to get our last paycheck.”
Another employee showed up for his afternoon shift.
“I just came to work, and when I got there, I don’t see anyone,” I see two guys that I don’t know and they tell me that the place is closed,” Brian Ruddock, who was a dishwasher at the restaurant, said.
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No warnings, no nothing is what multiple employees told News 5, but there were prior rumors about the establishment possibly shutting down.
Tawanda McCants had been a server at Paula Deen’s since the restaurant opened in 2019.
“We had been lied to for months,” McCants said. “We were all hearing rumors that we were going to close down. Everyone was telling us it was not true, ‘It’s just a rumor, we just renewed our lease,’ and then we get to today, and there is no more Paula Deen’s.”
OWA independently owns Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen. News 5 reached out to OWA representatives, in which they released a statement saying they decided to shut down the restaurant and that they would help employees find other jobs within OWA.
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Our commitment remains focused on continually enhancing the offerings at OWA to create a vibrant, diverse environment for our guests. Therefore, after deep and careful consideration, it was decided to close Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen at OWA, effective January 3, 2024. The Foley, AL, location of Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen was independently owned by OWA.
During this time of transition, we have been committed to actively assisting those affected employees by providing guidance and support. This has included providing options for new employment opportunities within other areas on our property, at our other Tribal-owned businesses, and through local employment resources.
While this marks the end of an era, it also ushers in a new and thrilling chapter as we continue to transform the west end of Downtown OWA. A new attraction is coming to this space and it is slated to open Summer 2024. We look forward to the positive impact this new attraction will bring to our collective success.
OWA
“If you didn’t care for me at one place, why would I go work for you somewhere else,” McCants said.
There are also multiple signs posted on the door stating that the restaurant will soon be turned into some sort of attraction.
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