Closing Letter
Thank you for taking the time to log onto Rudy & Lola’s website. It is with great sadness that we must inform you of the closing of Rudy & Lola’s Italian Grill. Hopefully this letter will clear up any rumors that may have been generated due to certain misleading information, falsities and outright lies being told by certain parties involved.
On the morning of May 6th, 2009, Paul Bedway, Sr. (Schuylkill Haven City Council and member of the Schuylkill Haven Economic Revitalization Committee), majority shareholder of the restaurant, entered the establishment and announced that he was closing the doors. For reasons still unknown to staff and myself, Mr. Bedway locked the doors, turning away staff arriving for their shifts and customers arriving for lunch. Despite many pleas by my wife, employees already there for their shifts, and myself, Mr. Bedway would not offer any legitimate reason for this decision. Because of the contract agreement Mr. Bedway was able to do this, stripping myself of my corporate share in the company.
At this point I would like to take this time to thank our loyal customer base. Because of you we were able to create a successful restaurant out of Rudy & Lola’s during one of the most improbable times for a new business to start. It was always our goal to create an atmosphere where our guests felt that they were not just at a good restaurant, but also at a place where they were welcomed and made to feel like family. Through interaction I believe we achieved this goal and I once again thank you for allowing my staff and I to become part of your lives. To those who had reservations for Mother’s Day weekend or for upcoming events in our private dining room, I apologize for inconveniences caused. I assure you every effort was made to get back into the building to recover our reservation schedule to contact you, but as of this point I have been not allowed to do so by Mr. Bedway. For those who have purchased gift cards please check back in the near future - for I will be asking Mr. Bedway to see if refunds can be provided.
Next I would like to thank the Rudy & Lola’s staff. I know many of you put your heart and soul into the restaurant. None of your work and dedication has gone unnoticed or unappreciated. The group of you has become more like a family than co-workers. The abrupt closing of the restaurant has put 26 people, including myself, out of work. This action puts another 26 families in the position of finding another job, families that must now attempt to figure out how to pay bills and put food on the table. And all of this coming as our country is in recession and facing one of the highest unemployment rates in history. And to add insult, all of this done to a restaurant that was successful - showing significant increases in profits from month to month. We have been unfairly treated and I appreciate all your efforts including the petition, planned protests, media coverage, etc. I feel great pride in having worked with all of you.
Thank you for your time. The most important thing that I hope you can get from this is that we DID NOT- I REPEAT DID NOT- close due to unpaid vendors, utilities, rent, etc.- a reason that has been FALSELY spread through our community. We do plan to reopen at a different location as soon as possible - do you think unpaid vendors would be showing up to offer me their goods and services? I think not. So please check back soon to find out the plans and location for the new and always improving Rudy & Lola’s!!!
Thank You,
Rudy Dermo
