Some Applebee’s Locations Abruptly Shut Down, Police Involved

Applebee’s has abruptly shut down two locations, both in the state of Wisconsin, only leaving behind a ‘Dear John’ letter.

Two Milwaukee-area Applebee’s locations have closed their doors, and apparently customers only found out by heading there for a meal, only to find a small note on the door letting them know that the locations have closed. That’s it. No explanation.

MSN reports the reason for the two closures: The franchisee who owns them both has defaulted on rent, to the tune of $150,000.

This was an eviction, so the local police department had to show up while the restaurants were still open and shut the situation down.

Police told employees that they had to leave the premises immediately. After the note was placed on the doors and doors were locked, customers began coming in for their usual “Eatin’ Good in the Neighborhood,” only to find locked doors.

“Got up to the door. Saw the sign. And, yeah, disappointed,” one person told Milwaukee news station WISN-TV.

She even tried to pull the doors open, perhaps not believing the note, but they were locked and the place was dark inside.

Another local Milwaukee resident, who apparently frequents one of the shut down Applebee’s, is pretty heated about it, saying: “We came to Applebee’s quite often. I’m totally stunned. We hadn’t heard anything.”

With the economy inflated, and uncertainty poking its head through the ground more and more each day, even large corporations are feeling the squeeze.