A Chili's restaurant in South Portland, Maine, will close permanently on May 7. This shutdown will leave only one remaining Chili's location in the entire state.
Chili's in South Portland is Closing Soon
A manager has confirmed that the Chili's restaurant in South Portland, Maine, will close its doors in the coming weeks, according to ABC affiliate WMTW-TV. It remains uncertain whether the current staff will have the chance to work at another location.
The only other Chili's in Maine is located in Bangor, with additional sites in Dover and Seabrook, New Hampshire.
Maine's Total Coverage has contacted the company to determine the number of employees impacted by this decision. Staff members reported they were only notified about the impending closure this week.
According to the Bangor Daily News, approximately 35 employees will be out of work due to the closure of the Chili's restaurant in South Portland. The establishment is one of the two Chili's locations in Maine, owned by Brinker International, and the other is located in Bangor. Attempts to contact Brinker's corporate office in Texas for comments have gone unanswered.
Brinker International manages Chili's and oversees Maggiano's Little Italy and It's Just Wings brands. Brinker operates over 1,600 restaurants across 29 countries and two U.S. territories, as stated on its website.
Statista, a global business tracking website, reported that Brinker International earned about $4.1 billion in revenue in 2023, an increase from $3.8 billion the previous year.
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Chili's South Portland Faces Imminent Closure
The U.S. Sun reports that Chili's, a popular restaurant chain, operates six locations in New Hampshire, including in Dover, Keene, Nashua, Salem, Seabrook, and West Lebanon.
The Chili's restaurant in South Portland, Maine, is located near the Maine Mall, a bustling shopping center that houses significant retailers like Banana Republic, Macy's, Foot Locker, and J.Crew.
This outlet is set to shut down soon, following closely after a similar closure of a Chili's in Irvine, California. A posted notice at the restaurant revealed that the imminent closure is due to the expiration of its lease in 2020, although the business had received temporary extensions to continue operations.
The closure has been a significant topic among customers, sparking expressions of disappointment and nostalgia online. One customer mentioned, "So sad...I used to meet my parents there for dinner every Saturday." This sentiment underscores the personal connections many had with the location.
Chili's maintains a robust presence in other states, including hundreds of locations in Texas, where the chain was originally founded in Dallas in 1975. Despite recent closures in places like Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Charlotte, North Carolina, Chili's remains a crucial player in the American casual dining scene.
Chili's is among several restaurant chains facing closures across the United States. According to The U.S. Sun, Cracker Barrel has shut down locations in Oregon, South Carolina, and California. Mod Pizza has also closed numerous outlets across the country, including several in California.
The closures extend to other prominent chains; In-N-Out and Denny's have both closed locations in Oakland, California, citing crime as the primary reason for their decision. These closures reflect a broader trend affecting the restaurant industry in various parts of the country.
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