On Monday, Dec. 29, all of the Romano’s Macaroni Grill restaurants suddenly shut down across the St. Louis and Columbia areas for an unknown reason. Workers were informed at 8 a.m. that morning via telephone that their jobs had been eliminated due to the restaurant closing. Its furniture and appliances have been auctioned off.

Two weeks later, the reason for the shutdown is still unknown. Students have mixed feelings about the shutdown.

Sophie Kornfield, sophomore, is very upset about the restaurant closing.

“I was sad because it’s a good restaurant. My family and I used to eat there all the time,” Kornfield said.

Kornfield has many fond memories of dining there and laughing with her family over delicious pasta dinners.

However, sophomore John Hardie doesn’t mind the closing. The restaurant wasn’t a favorite and Hardie said there are better places to eat at in the St. Louis area.

“It shocked me on how it closed, but I know there are more places out there that I would be more upset about,” Hardie said.

Despite their different opinions on the Macaroni Grill’s quality, both agree it wasn’t right how Macaroni Grill informed the employees know about its closing. Both feel the management should have alerted the employees beforehand to give them a chance to find new jobs

“It was very unprofessional. Workers won’t be able to get jobs easily since it takes a lot of time,” Hardie says, “I think they will end up losing a lot of money.”

Kornfield and Hardie also agree they are very excited for the possibility of new Chick-fil-A restaurants replacing the old Macaroni Grill locations in Brentwood and South St. Louis County. Having more options to eat while driving around St. Louis is always a good thing, according to Kornfield.

Though St. Louis bids farewell to the Macaroni Grill, the idea of a fast food favorite coming gives the otherwise dreary situation a happier outlook.

“I’m very excited for another place where I can get Chick-fil-A’s delicious ice cream, chicken nuggets and sauce,” Hardie said.