Dozens of employees of one fast food chain are out of a job after at least six Arby's restaurants in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania suddenly shut down.
The move is a shock for many of those employees who were blindsided by the news.
Locations in Scranton, Kingston, Pine Grove, and in the Lycoming, Wyoming Valley, and Schuylkill Malls closed their doors on Friday.
Employees at Arby's in the Wyoming Valley Mall said they had no idea the restaurants were going to be shut down.
The six locations are owned by Dijan Inc., a Clarks Summit based company.
According to court papers, the company had financial issues back in 2010.
On Friday, the company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, in which the company must get rid of all assets, which is why all the restaurants are now closed.
"They obviously knew what was going on and what was going to happen. I don't think what they did was right. It's not fair," said former employee Ashley Douglass.
Douglass and Danny Gulla were coworkers. Gulla worked for the company for six years. Douglass depended on her income to pay her rent.
"Now I'm just on the verge of losing my place and not knowing where to go," Douglass said.
Not only did those Arby's employees not know the stores were closing, many customers had no idea either. People had been stopping by the Kingston location on Saturday, trying to open the door only to find it locked. There are no signs posted anywhere on the property stating that the restaurant is closed.
"They have to go by the door. There's no signs whatsoever. That's a disservice to the customer. That's how I look at it anyway," said Saverio Costantio of Hanover Township.
Some customers even sat at the drive thru waiting for a response.
People at the Kingston restaurant said there are plenty of other places to eat, but they do feel bad for the employees.
Newswatch 16 tried to reach Dijan Inc. for comment, but calls were not returned.
In a statement emailed to Newswatch 16 Saturday evening, Arby's Restaurant Group, Inc. said it is looking into whether the franchise locations that closed can be reopened under new ownership.