Waking Up Without a Job: Steak and Ales Close Across the Nation

News broke across the country about one of the largest corporations filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy, but I did not find out that way. I have been a dedicated Steak and Ale employee for almost two years, and I woke up Tuesday morning without a job. I am keeping myself reasonably anonymous, because I do not know the full details of the situation. I am giving my account on what I have experienced based on the fall-out of the bankruptcy. I cannot say I did not have warning, but there was never an indicator of when Steak and Ale would be closing.

I woke up Tuesday morning to a text message from a fellow server, informing me Steak and Ale would be closed for the next few days. I immediately called and talked to the manager that was there that morning. He informed me that Steak and Ale would be closed until Friday, because some paperwork had not gone through on a certain deadline. The company I worked for could not afford to pay me. I would receive a call on Friday, letting me know if I had still had a job. Hearing the news, I had one question, "Should I look for another job?" My manager paused before replying, "Probably."

How can you not realize that you were on a sinking ship? I had heard tale of restaurants suddenly closing, and entire staffs being out of work. I always swore there was no way I would find myself in a similar position, but here I am. As I said before, I cannot say I was completely without warning. Subtle hints were everywhere. Invoices were not being paid. Our cleaning crew quit after not being paid for multiple months, but returned. Our restaurant was in shambles. The roof leaked when it rained causing ceiling tiles to crumble.

Our air conditioning flooded a 10-foot space, making those rooms unusable for several days. Tile was broken in places in the back. It seemed like we were always waiting to get permission to fix everything. We ran short-staffed every night. Sometimes to the point, that it should not have been humanly possible. The signs got more severe. We were no longer allowed to order and china, and our account was cut off at our supplier. Forcing Steak and Ale to go to restaurant supply stores to buy necessities.

A few days before we closed, Steak and Ale told us to stop asking people to become "Preferred Guests," as they were no longer sending out coupons. The company could no longer afford it. Our sales were down a minimum of 1,000 dollars a night, sometimes more. That was just the store I worked in. It was the big joke among all of us, that one day we would show up and see a closed sign. We joked about all of us going job-hunting together. We joked that it was just the slow month, and that it would be better soon. None of us searched for new jobs. We loved the people we worked with too much, and then Tuesday put everything that we joked about into reality.

Upon hanging up the phone with my manager, I was just dumb-founded. I could not believe that we had not even been given a chance to find a new job. I work -- worked -- with people that had been with the corporation for 10 years, 15 years. I work with people that are single income families, people with kids, with bills, with lives. I worked with people. People that deserved the right to find another job. People that are facing a very hard couple of weeks of job-searching. College students trying to pay bills. I worked with mothers, with fathers, with grandparents barely squeaking by on what they made. All 50 or so of us are now back on a job hunt. That is just one store. Thousands of people across the United States are facing the same problem. The United States' economy is going down the tubes, and thousands of people are now out of work. I do not know if I will have a paycheck waiting for me Friday. None of us do. Some of us will not be able to pay our bills this month. I still do not know what to feel. I am angry. I am sad. I am so incredibly worried. I am also that much more resolved.

I got off that phone, and got ready to go on my first job hunt in years. I found out in the middle of an interview the truth about my job. I was still holding on to the hope that maybe I would be able to work again Friday. The breath was pulled out of my lungs, when the manager interviewing me informed me that Steak and Ale had declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy. I officially had no job to go back on. He apologized, but I don't think any apologies could have helped at that particular moment. I have never been jobless. I have never been fired. I have always had a back-up plan, another job waiting when I left the current one. In that moment, I realized I had nothing. I put on the bravest face I owned and concentrated on trying to wow the man interviewing me. I NEEDED this job.

According to Wall Street Journal, Steak and Ale and all non-franchised Bennigans closed -- totaling around 200 restaurants. Over 9,000 people are now out of work. The corporation managing both restaurants -- Metromedia Management Group, filed a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Essentially this means that the company is not trying to hold onto property, etc. and try to re-open. Chapter 7 entails a liquidation of all assets. Steak and Ale and Bennigans, founded in 1966 and 1976 respectively, apparently could not keep up with other similar restaurants anymore. Even the franchised Bennigans will be facing hard times very soon.

I wish that there was a way to find out what is really going on as far as employees are concerned. I would like to know when I can pick up my check, if I even have one to pick up. I should, I assume. It would be nice to figure out a number to give to all prospective employers. I gave the store phone number when I applied, but that may actually be laughable as far as them being able to get a reference for me. Steak and Ale left, and did not give anyone a forwarding address.

Business is business. People are not the worries of the economy. Money is, and that is a fact that I am all too aware of. However, it wasn't just a business that went down this past Tuesday. The people I worked with were -- are -- my best friends. It is amazing how close knit you realize you are when you realize that world is gone. Instead of out right competition, all of us are in constant communication. Everyone is sharing job leads, and trying to help each other out. Our corporation deserted us, but we did not desert each other. Nothing will ever be the same. I have many fond memories of what was Steak and Ale, and I will never forget the experience. I will never forget the people. Steak and Ale may have closed its doors for the last time, but everyone that worked there is still standing. We are still fighting, and our ride is not even close to over. Please keep everyone involved in your thoughts, as thousands of people need a little bit of luck right now.