ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Dr. Phillips restaurant SLATE abruptly announced its closure on social media Wednesday but plans to shutter the business had already been in the works, according to the owner, Chuck Whittall, who is also the CEO of Unicorp.
“I can’t say who it is right now, but we just had an incredible opportunity come approach us for the space and so we made a deal to put a different tenant in that space,” Whittall said.
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He added that an announcement will be made in a few weeks about what will be moving into the space.
Whittall also clarified that Dec. 31 was the last official day of business for SLATE.
News 6 received several emails from people claiming to be employees who said they were given little to no notice about the closure.
“It’s unfortunate. I mean, when you close a restaurant it’s very difficult to give notice just because the nature of the business — people won’t show up and customers and it’s just... typically when a restaurant closes, they close the doors,” Whittall said. “We’re not really in the restaurant business and we just follow the protocol of the industry.”
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The CEO added that the company is offering severance pay for SLATE’s former employees.
Whittall teased that the reasons for the closure would become more apparent when the new tenant is revealed.
“I think when I tell you in a couple of weeks you’ll go, ‘Wow, that makes a lot of sense,’” he said. “It was just it was a good business move for us.”
The restaurant announced the closure on Instagram and on the homepage of its website Wednesday with the following message:
“To our wonderful customers,
It is with a heavy heart we announce the permanent closure of our restaurant. We extend our sincere gratitude for your loyalty and support throughout the years.
Farewell, and thank you for being a cherished part of our community.”
Slate
SLATE, 8323 Sand Lake Road, first opened along Restaurant Row in 2015.
The restaurant featured a scratch kitchen with pasta and pizzas, a selection of seafood and more casual fare, such as burgers and fried chicken.
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