TMCnet News
Two Popular ABQ Restaurants Reported Closed: Whisque on the West Side, Carrabba's Italian Grill near I-25 suddenly shut doors, KOAT-TV reports.(Albuquerque Journal (NM) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) Jan. 8--10:15am UPDATE: Here's an e-mail we just received from Shannon Black, public relations coordinator for OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC, owners of Carrabba's Italian Grill, Outback and other restaurants: Carrabba's Italian Grill has closed its Albuquerque, New Mexico restaurant located at 4921 Jefferson Street. "On behalf of all of us at the restaurant, we want to express our appreciation to the Albuquerque community for their patronage over the past 12 years," says Tim Tumbleson, Joint Venture Partner for Carrabba's Italian Grill in New Mexico. According to Tumbleson, the company will work with each of the employees to relocate them to one of the other company restaurants in the area. ------ Two popular Albuquerque restaurants have closed their doors without advance notice -- Whisque Mesquite Bar and Grill at 4201 Montano NW and Carrabba's Italian Grill at 4921 Jefferson NE, near I-25, according to KOAT-TV. A message at Whisque's phone number began, "Hi, we regret to inform you that due to financial difficulties, Mesquite Bar and Grill will no longer be open for business," then went on to thank those who have patronized the restaurant since it opened on the West Side in 2007. The Carrabba's phone message gave no indication of anything other than regular business hours, but Action 7 News reported seeing a "closed" sign outside the restaurant and a U-Haul truck parked in back, reportedly loading up restaurant furniture to corporate offices out of state. ABQjournal.com is awaiting word from OSI Restaurant Partners, LLC, the Tampa, Fla.-based owners of Carrabba's, Outback Steakhouse and other restaurants, for more details. KOAT-TV said it tried to contact Whisque's owner, but a voicemail message said he was out of the country until Jan. 17. To see more of the Albuquerque Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.abqjournal.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Albuquerque Journal, N.M. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |