When employees showed up to work Monday morning at 9 South CharGrill, they found the locks changed and a sign saying the restaurant had permanently closed.
According to former employee Bruce Special, no employees were notified by the owner — Brett Richardson — before the shutdown. Employees said they found out about the closure when they arrived to work and saw the sign, then by texting each other.
"I messaged the owner and he said he was unable to re-sign the lease and we were closed effective immediately," Special said. "I just worked Friday night and had zero idea we were closing down."
Richardson hadn't responded to a request for comment as of Monday afternoon.
Located on the corner of Ninth and South streets, the restaurant opened in 2007 to rave reviews.
In 2009, former Journal Star restaurant reviewer Jeff Korbelik named it one of Lincoln's top 10 restaurants to open in the 2000s.Â
"The neighborhood eatery has a menu as good as any found downtown," Korbelik wrote.
The menu reflected a Deep South influence, with 9 South making its own sauces for the pulled pork and ribs. There was also a selection of beef, poultry, pork and seafood options with a southern flair to go along with an appetizing sandwich assortment.Â
But the most-talked-about menu item might have been the nachos that were made with pulled pork and waffle fries.
Owners Brett Richardson and Shawn Lacey had been wanting to open a restaurant and they spent two years searching for the ideal location.
They finally found one in the southwest Lincoln neighborhood, in a building that previously housed numerous businesses over the years, including an auto mechanic shop.
"We thought this one would take off because it's a different kind of concept," Richardson said in a 2007 Journal Star report.
Lincoln restaurants that have opened in the past year