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MALL LOSES RESTAURANT

By Scott Loftis/SPECIAL TO THE COMMERCIAL
Tuesday, September 22, 2009 11:04 PM CDT

Garfield’s Restaurant & Pub, a longtime fixture at The Pines mall, has closed its doors.

Chuck Drew, general manager of the Garfield’s at Pine Bluff, confirmed the closing Tuesday.

“We have closed and ceased operations this past Sunday,” said Drew, who had been the restaurant’s general manager since September 2008.

Garfield’s parent company, Eateries Inc. of Edmond, Okla., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May. Drew wouldn’t say what impact that might have had on the decision to close the local Garfield’s.

“I can’t make any comments,” he said.

Drew said the restaurant employed around 20 people and was the last remaining Garfield’s in Arkansas.

“The individual employees’ future plans are up to the individual employees,” he said.

Drew, who said he had “had better days,” did express his gratitude to Garfield’s customers.

“We’re sad that we had to close down and not continue to serve the people of Pine Bluff,” he said.

Kandy White, manager of The Pines, said she couldn’t discuss the closing or the mall’s plans for the space that was occupied by Garfield’s.

“This is tied up in bankruptcy,” she said. “I can’t comment.”

The Pines’ owner, General Growth Properties, also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April. In July, White reported that the mall had added a new tenant — Wilkerson’s Gold Buying Center — and was continuing efforts to recruit more tenants.

Asked on Tuesday about the mall’s welfare, White responded: “I can’t say much has changed since July.”

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