Without any advance warning, Bar Louie has abruptly closed its Legacy Village location (24337 Cedar Rd.) in Lyndhurst, which opened nearly 20 years ago, and its Crocker Park spot, which opened in 2012. Visitors — and presumably staffers — who attempted to enter the restaurant over the weekend were greeted by the following sign:

“We regret to inform you this location is permanently closed. Thank you for the many memories!”

The Texas-based chain, which had restaurants in 19 states, also abruptly shuttered stores in greater Detroit, Illinois and New Jersey this week.

Cleveland’s other Bar Louie locations downtown and in Strongsville closed years ago during a stretch when the company filed for bankruptcy protection and closed more than three dozen locations.

The Detroit Free Press, writing on the closures in two Michigan suburbs, reported an internal memo to employees read, “The decision to close this location is in no way a reflection of you, this team, the management of this location, or the potential of the Bar Louie brand,” reads an internal memo. “Making the decision to close a location is never easy but focusing our resources on our higher-performing locations was the responsible approach.”

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For 25 years, Douglas Trattner has worked as a full-time freelance writer, editor and author. His work as co-author on Michael Symon's cookbooks have earned him four New York Times Best-Selling Author honors, while his longstanding role as Scene dining editor has garnered awards of its own.