You heard right, Fairview Heights restaurant to close after decade of serving comfort food
You may have already heard that Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen at 6600 N. Illinois St. in Fairview Heights is closing.
Like many others, I first heard about it via Facebook. Naturally, social media info should be taken with a mountain-sized grain of salt. (So, I guess, a mountain of salt.)
But I confirmed (officially) that yes, this particular location is closing.
The other 180 or so locations are unaffected, according to a recent USA Today report.
I submitted an inquiry on the Cheddar’s website and received an email reply from a member of the Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Guest Relations team.
“Unfortunately, after careful consideration, we’ve made the difficult business decision to close [the Fairview Heights location], effective July 24. Closing this restaurant is a difficult business decision, and it’s one we made very carefully and thoughtfully, particularly because it impacts our team members and our guests,” stated the email.
The reason for the closure was not included in the response.
However, multiple social media posts state the staff members are telling customers the restaurant is closing for underperforming.
I also reached out to Cheddar’s media representative Kristin Colville of Darden Restaurants, which owns Cheddar’s, in hopes of getting an official reason for the closing.
Messages were not immediately returned.
The Fairview Heights restaurant’s last day of operation is Sunday, July 23.
About Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen
Known for its menu of hearty meals and comfort foods, Cheddar’s Casual Café opened in June 2013.
Its location is at the former site of Casa Gallardo, which closed suddenly after 29 years in business in February 2012.
The building was demolished in late 2012 to make way for Cheddar’s Casual Café, which was established in 1979 and is based in Irving, Texas.
The company changed the name to Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen in 2016 and was acquired by Darden Restaurants acquired Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen the following year.
In addition to Cheddar’s, Darden owns Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse and multiple other restaurants. It previously owned Red Lobster and Smokey Bones.
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Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen is located at 6600 N. Illinois St. in Fairview Heights.
Hours are 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday.
For more info about the Fairview Heights location, call 618-622-9475. To learn more about Cheddar’s, visit cheddars.com.
