Moviegoers, customers are sad to hear O’Charley’s restaurant will close in O’Fallon
O’Charley’s was one of the first businesses to open at the now-busy intersection of Hartman Lane and U.S. 50 in O’Fallon, but the chain restaurant and bar is closing in December after nearly 20 years, and the company isn’t saying why.
On Tuesday, customers Sue Cobb and Lena Biles were disappointed by the news.
“We’re so sad that they’re closing,” said Cobb, 77, of O’Fallon, a retired special-ed teacher and mental-health therapist. “We go to the movies, and then we come here for lunch.”
O’Charley’s is across Central Park Drive from Marcus O’Fallon Cinema. On this day, Cobb and Biles had gone to see “Ford v Ferrari” with Matt Damon and Christian Bale.
“It’s a good restaurant,” said Biles, 74, of Lebanon, a retired early-childhood-intervention specialist who was celebrating her birthday. “They have good food and good service.”
General Manager Brian Kribs verified that the restaurant is closing and its last day will be Dec. 15. He referred other questions to Jeff Hingher, O’Charley’s senior marketing director, based at company headquarters in Nashville, Tennessee.
But Hingher didn’t respond to a request for comment. He contacted a PR firm, which emailed the following statement from company President Craig Barber:
“Our O’Fallon, IL, location will close after business on Dec. 15. As a longtime part of this community, we appreciate our guests and the many friends we have made over the years. We are grateful to our team members who so capably served our guests and are assisting them in transitioning to other stores or new employment.”
“Gift cards may be redeemed at any O’Charley’s location,” the statement added.
The St. Louis region has four other locations, including Fenton, St. Peters and O’Fallon, Missouri, and one near South County Center mall in St. Louis.
O’Charley’s has closed 24 locations since 2016, according to the trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News. The O’Fallon closure will affect 51 employees.
Ted Shekell became community development director for the city of O’Fallon in 1997, after the movie theater had opened in a largely undeveloped section of town, next to Interstate 64. Chevy’s Fresh Mex restaurant came along in 1998, followed by O’Charley’s in 2000.
“We hate to see O’Charley’s close,” Shekell said this week. “It’s been a good business and a great restaurant for a lot of years. We’ll certainly miss their dinner rolls and pecan pie.”
Shekell said he isn’t sure what will happen to the O’Charley’s building, but he expects it to be repurposed quickly, given its prime location on Central Park Drive, which keeps getting busier as new businesses open and others expand.
“There’s a huge captive audience right across the street,” Shekell said, referring to the movie theater.
Charley Watkins opened the first O’Charley’s location in 1971, near Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
“With a menu made up of a handful of his wife’s popular recipes and the belief that, ‘Everyone who walks through this door is a friend of mine,’ Charley had the ingredients to create something special,” according to the company’s website.
O’Charley’s has more than 200 locations in 17 states, the website states. They serve “classic American food with a Southern accent.”
Cobb and Biles usually eat at the O’Fallon restaurant on Tuesdays, when the movie theater offers $5 tickets with free popcorn. This week, Cobb ordered catfish with French fries while Biles went with fried shrimp and a baked potato.
“We don’t understand why they’re closing,” Cobb said. “Right now (at 3 in the afternoon), it’s quiet. But we’ve been here at lunchtime, and it’s really busy.”
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 2:39 PM.
