Around 40 were employed there.
Working there for more than 30 years, Towsley had done it all at the restaurant - hostess, prep, cook and server.
“Very emotional. It’s been a very rough day today,” she said.
The hardest part will be breaking her routine.
“Just not having a reliable job to go to every day, it’s something that you look forward to,” she said.
How could a corporation like Red Lobster lay off dozens of without a warning? Cheryl Mayforth with The WorkPlace says it depends on how many full-time workers were at the location. Red Lobster needed to have at least 25 full-time employees to be required by state law to give notice the restaurant was closing.
“There would be no WARN notice and that’s kind of too bad because that gives employees advanced warning to be able to prepare for something like this because I’m sure this has come as a real shock,” said Mayforth.
Towsley says although she’s afraid of change, she’s already looking for a new job.
“It is hard to get into anywhere. I’m not young anymore. You never know, I might look for a healthcare position,” she said.
