Sacramento Restaurant Lays Off Entire Staff Over Email

A buzzy Sacramento restaurant has laid off its entire staff via email. According to the Merced Sun-Star, Blackbird Kitchen + Bar closed on Monday and posted about the closure on Facebook before removing the post. One server explains: "We had the schedule made and everything was ready to go, and instead of calling us in, we got a simple mass email telling us the restaurant was closed and without giving a reason." Apparently the ex-employees are meeting tonight to talk about the incident.

One of the hottest Sacramento openings of 2012, Blackbird had recently lost its executive chef Kevin O'Connor. Owner Carina Lampkin was not available for comment. O'Connor says of the restaurant: "I knew there were a lot of problems, but money wasn't really an issue." That's not the only reason the closure surprised employees. Blackbird had participated in a local event and posted photos to Facebook this past weekend. As of publishing, the restaurant's website is still live and has no information about the closure.

· Blackbird Closes and Informs Employees Via Email [MSS]
· All Sacramento Coverage on Eater [-E-]