Staff of the restaurant, who had stayed on during a recent transition in ownership, were notified of the immediate closure Monday night, and have been told they’ll receive their final paychecks later this week. “Unfortunately I need to be the bearer of some very bad news,” wrote former general manager Jessica Frigon, in an email sent to restaurant staff at 8 p.m. Monday, forwarded to Orlando Weekly.
“[Restaurant owners] Bob and Mike have decided to not continue with Jasper’s and have decided to close the restaurant for good, beginning immediately,” Frigon continued, referring to the restaurant’s new owners. “I was just told about this right now, so I am in the same boat as you.”
Teak Neighborhood Grill, formerly owned by the same team as the other Teak restaurant in Orlando’s MetroWest area, was bought by Robert and Nicole Wilkinson about a month ago. It was also managed by Bob’s brother, Michael Wilkinson.
The Wilkinsons, who have also had or have ownership stakes in downtown Orlando clubs Celine, Tier and Parlay, rebranded Teak as Jaspers Bar & Grill in mid-November. According to one former employee, who stayed on during the transition in ownership, the Wilkinsons reassured staff that they were “committed” to revitalizing the restaurant, which had seen a drop in business over the last year.
“We’re being told all of these grand plans, and then the next moment, we’re getting an email,” said Hayle Silva, a former server and keyholder at Jaspers, in a phone call with Orlando Weekly. Silva, mother of an adult child who’s heading off to college, said she wants the community to know that their former employer was “a great guy” and “present,” whereas the new owners offered big promises, but have been completely absent since staff were laid off earlier this week.
“Nobody was even allowed to go back to the building to get anything,” said Silva, a restaurant employee of three years. “We invested a lot into that restaurant, and for the past year, we’ve just watched it go downhill,” she said, expressing frustration with the characterization of Jaspers’ downfall as just another business closure amid many in the Orlando area.
“These people came in with all kinds of promises about what they were going to do for us and all of the things that they were going to change, and then they just disappeared,” she said.
Orlando Weekly was not immediately able to reach the new owners for comment on the closure, or the abrupt notice given to staff.
Related
Pom Moongauklang’s next moves, Noir Bar to open in North Quarter, Teak in Maitland becomes Jaspers Bar and Grill
A former lead at Jaspers, Chelsea Proenza, told Orlando Weekly over Facebook Messenger that the unexpected news — delivered just ahead of the winter holidays — was “really upsetting.”
Proenza, a mother of four, said finding a job at this time of year in her industry is “almost impossible” since many employers have already staffed up. “It’s extremely stressful,” said Proenza. “Especially when I haven’t even done Christmas shopping. To find out we were permanently closed, that ruined my kid’s Christmas this year.”
Silva, who has another job, feels luckier than some of the other roughly 24 staff who relied on the restaurant as their sole source of income. “These were good people, people that really stood behind both of these owners,” she said.
“One of the employees, I mean, she was really looking forward to getting out on her own,” she added. U.S. Census survey data shows that a majority of renters in the Orlando metro, a region heavily reliant on its largely low-wage service and hospitality workforce, are cost-burdened as it is, spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing costs alone. “Young people were starting to really begin their lives, and to just be blindsided like this….”
Staffers have been given no formal explanation for the abrupt closure of their restaurant, but Proenza and Silva suspect foul play. On Reddit, some users chalked it up to a tax write-off ahead of the new year.
“We invested a lot into that restaurant, and for the past year, we’ve just watched it go downhill”
Silva said she feels slightly guilty because she had encouraged other staff to stay on during the transition. In her opinion, the previous owners were taken advantage of by the Wilkinsons: “They’re opportunists, and all they want is money.”
After Teak officially rebranded in Mid-November, rolling out a similar but different menu and new staff uniforms, Silva said negative reviews and complaints began immediately rolling in. “They changed the food into just all frozen stuff, and they just stopped buying the things that we needed in the restaurant,” she said. “It was very stressful to even come into work.”
Proenza, the other former employee, said staff were encouraged to leave fake positive reviews for the restaurant, which had a 3.9-star Google rating by the time it closed. Silva said the owners had shared plans to bolster their marketing and advertising, in order to improve community relations, but ultimately, that never materialized in any meaningful way.
“We knew the business was struggling for a little while,” said Silva, who had been part of early efforts to enhance the new restaurant’s social media presence.
“I’m sure everyone’s noticed, since the switch over happened business has plummeted, and ilMike [sic] and Bob do not think it is sustainable to continue operating the restaurant,” wrote former GM Frigon in the Monday email, notifying staff of their layoffs. “I am so so sorry about this guys. This was exactly what we didn’t want to happen and I am devastated right now to have to write this email.”
A number of businesses, including restaurants in this high-cost-of-living metro region, have struggled to stay afloat over the last year, even as inflation has cooled. Orlando Weekly has reported various restaurant closures in recent months, including the popular sandwich spot Pom Pom’s in the Milk District, Jack & Honey’s in Thornton Park, Ethos Vegan Kitchen in Winter Park and Hamburger Mary’s in downtown Orlando.
Silva, for her part, will be looking for a new job to supplement her income. She’s got unexpected debt to deal with and a child to support.
“It’s really important for me to be able to help my son while he’s in college,” she shared. “And that [her restaurant job] was going to help me do that.”
Subscribe to Orlando Weekly newsletters.
Follow us: Apple News | Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | or sign up for our RSS Feed
Related Stories
Pom Moongauklang’s next moves, Noir Bar to open in North Quarter, Teak in Maitland becomes Jaspers Bar and Grill
Orlando remains one of the most cost-burdened metros in the U.S.
Orange County aims to ‘resurrect’ film industry with new film incentive program
This article appears in Dec 11-17, 2024.