Employees of Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen at OWA in Foley were surprised Wednesday to learn the restaurant abruptly closed.

The Paula Deen-branded restaurant is a franchise owned by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, which developed OWA, a 520-acre shopping, dining and entertainment development in Foley.

Shortly after the restaurant closure became public, the PBCI issued a statement saying they “have been actively committed to assisting those affected employees by providing guidance and support.”

Some media reports and posts on social media suggested employees were blindsided by the closure, but the PCBI said all but three of the restaurant’s roughly 40 employees had been contacted by phone prior to opening time Wednesday.

Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen operated at OWA for just over four years, having opened in December 2019. At the time of its opening, two other Paula Deen restaurants had just closed in Destin and Panama City, Fla. According to the company website, four locations are currently operating: Pigeon Forge, Tenn.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Branson, Mo.; and Nashville, Tenn.

The release from the PBCI also said they were providing displaced employees with “new employment opportunities within other areas of our property, at our other Tribal-owned businesses and through local employment resources.”

Although no details were provided, the release also said a “new attraction” was coming to the now-vacant spot where the restaurant operated, slated to open this summer.

Paula Deen’s Family Kitchen is the fifth restaurant to close in recent months in south Baldwin County, with others to have closed including Fresh Off the Boat, Playas, Fisher’s Upstairs, and O’Charley’s.