The former general manager of Downtown Chatham's Coffee Culture says he was as surprised as his fellow employees that the store on King St. W was closed Thursday.
"I was absolutely left completely in the dark. There's no roundabout way of saying that I had zero idea this was going to happen," says Kevin Robinson.
Robinson says he arrived at the Coffee Culture Thursday to find his immediate superior, who informed him the corporate office had decided to close the Chatham location. Crews could be seen taking down signage and removing equipment inside Thursday morning.
"I was not given any heads-up information and I was not told any reason as to why it was closing," Robinson adds.
Robinson says he attempted to contact other staff in as timely a manner as possible, adding he sympathizes with their situation.
"I'd like to apologize to all my staff. I was unaware of this. So I was completely left in the dark as well. I feel saddened for all my staff that this happened right before Christmas holidays, so I extend my condolences to them," says Robinson.
Vice President George Karamountzos with Obsidian Group Inc., the management company that oversees Coffee Culture, says the decision to close the Chatham location was not made hastily. However, he added that the closure itself had to be handled quickly
"It was a financial decision that had to be made... The performance of the store just wasn't there over the last three or four years. It was unfortunate circumstances for all of us, obviously we love to be there in Chatham," he says. "[The closure] is something we had to take care of rather quickly, especially when you're dealing with any sort of food establishment -- you do the closing very quickly."
Karamountzos says former Coffee Culture staff in Chatham will be "compensated accordingly within government guidelines for their time."
-With files from Kirk Dickinson