The Chili’s Grill & Bar at Norfolk’s MacArthur Center mall is set to close this weekend after nearly two decades of operation. Its final day open will be Sunday.
“My heart breaks to say that Chili’s MacArthur will close next Sunday June 25th permanently,” the restaurant’s general manager, Amberlynn Johnson, said on Facebook. “I knew this day would come, however we thought we had a little while longer.”
A Chili’s spokesperson confirmed the closure to The Pilot.
“We regularly review the performance of our restaurants and from time to time will make the tough decision to close a restaurant based on evaluative criteria, such as sales figures, lease agreements and other factors,” the spokesperson said.
The announcement follows a steady decline of the mall, losing anchor stores Apple, Barnes & Noble, and Nordstrom, and depreciating $126 million in value over the past five years.
Early this month, the city voted to purchase MacArthur Center for just over $11 million, and now owns the entire mall and parking garages, with the exception of anchor store Dillard’s. The space will remain a mall for the near future, as no redevelopment plan has been finalized.
The closure of the Chili’s in MacArthur will leave only one location left in Norfolk, the Norfolk Naval Base Chili’s at 9226 Mall Drive.
Johnson said she’ll work open to close Sunday to have “the best last day.”
“We would love to see friends, family, (and past employees) come out and support our last week open.”
Sydney Haulenbeek, sydney.haulenbeek@virginiamedia.com
