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The Cookeville Shoney’s has laid-off all 24 employees as the restaurant prepares for upcoming renovations.
Kimberly Thompson was a server at the restaurant for 30 years prior to Sunday’s layoffs. She said the layoff didn’t come as a surprise to her.
“In my heart I was kind of expecting it because our general manager didn’t have a clue,” Thompson said. “I was kind of expecting it because [the remodel] is something we need. Our business is a little bit slower and we have a lot of competition now with a lot of new restaurants opening up. It’s something that was needed.”
Restaurant General Manager April Gentry has worked at Shoney’s for 16 years and said the layoff came with little warning.
“The only thing we ever heard was that at some point they would be remodeling the store,” Gentry said. “Other than that, we hadn’t heard when, and what I understand from the [Human Resources] guy he had just found out about a week or so ago.”
Thompson remains optimistic, saying the restaurant will look to hire those with more experience following the remodel. However, she added those with less experience were upset following the layoff.
“The newer hires… they were in shock, like most of us,” Thompson said. “Some were crying and trying to console. We’re a small group and our business was down. Like a lot of work places, it’s like a work family so we were trying to console each other.”
Gentry said the upcoming renovation will ultimately benefit the restaurant in the long run.
“It was upsetting, but we have needed the remodel of this store for a long time,” Gentry said. “It’s in a sense a bad thing, but it’s going to be a great thing when it reopens.”
Shoney’s first launched its newly remodeled at a Nashville location in 2017. The Cookeville renovation could also include a new bar offering beer and wine, a feature being offered at select locations across the country.
