Some local workers are out of jobs, casualties of a corporate decision to shut down close to 100 restaurants around the country.
Employees of Ryan's Family Steakhouse on John Deere Road in Moline were told Monday, March 7th that the place was closing for good. A sign on the door the day before said it was closed for inventory.
None of the workers knew Saturday would turn out to be their last day on the job.
"It's a shock. I was here almost five years, now I don't have a job. I'm angry, I'm sad," said Dawn Patch, a single mom and server at the restaurant.
"I have enough saved for rent for a month, I just hope and pray I find something," she said.
Workers were supposed to attend a "team meeting" on Monday, but instead were given letters about the permanent closure and told their last checks would be distributed by direct deposit or debit.
A pastor of a local church had help hauling away food that the restaurant had offered to donate to their food shelter.
The company that owned Ryan's and several other chains sold the restaurants to "Ovation Brands" last August. In February, about 74 of the restaurants owned by the new corporation were closed, and more shuttered in March, without warning.