15 Pasta Pomodoros abruptly close, employees notified via text

SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - On the day after Christmas, the signs went up and a text message went out to employees: all 15 Pasta Pomodoro locations in the Bay Area would be closing for good.

One employee had this reaction, "So I'm like Merry Christmas self, you're broke, that's the way I look at it. You have no money, you don't know when you're getting paid..."

Employees, who didn't want to be identified, say they felt blindsided by the news and angered that it came via text.

"It is a really incredible sense of betrayal come the new year with no job, nowhere to go," said one staffer.

Another added, "I understand there are financial difficulties with companies. I understand they have to go down. But my main thing is just we obviously want to get paid and it's just not right the way it was gone about."

The owner declined to comment to KTVU about the shutdown. Though in a text message to employees he wrote, "Pasta Pomodoro Inc. has made the extremely difficult decision to wind down its business. As a result, all restaurants are closed for business effective immediately. As an employee of PPI, you should not come to work on Monday as you are on unpaid furlough until we can collect and calculate your final pay."

Employees say they'd like answers.

"They have yet to explain why. We have rumors and we can assume what's going on. But ultimately there's no straight answer from anybody," says one employee.

Customers are out of luck too. Those with reservations and gift cards will be met with locked doors.
And employees, will face the new year, looking for new jobs.

"Back of the house, front of the house, we're all in it together at this point," said one woman.

Another added, "We all go looking for another job and you've basically got to start over."

Employees were told their final paycheck would be coming Friday. They're hopeful that will be the case.