Rain forest Cafe :'(

[KBLovedDisney]

I just heard a couple of days ago that Landry's let go all their employees without pay and are possibly not re-opening?
Anyone else heard this, and do you think Disney would keep Rain forest Cafe open for Animal Kingdom?

That's one of my favorite restaurants there.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

I don't think anyone really knows at this point if Fertitta is going to reopen any of these spots. I'd like to think so, but so much hinges on how long all of this goes on and if there's a real threat of people boycotting Landry's owned businesses. Tilman Fertitta hasn't really made a lot of fans with how he's handled this (even in his non-Disney related stuff, which has also caused a lot of anger), so a lot of people are speaking of boycotting his establishments from this point on. Obviously, actions speak louder than words, but it's come up quite a bit in our local circles since the Houston/Galveston area is filled with Landry's based stuff. So, only time will tell.

 

[Kerri Whitmire]

I think a lot of businesses are laying off employees so they can at least earn a wage through unemployment benefits???

 

[Master Yoda]

Partially true. Employees were furloughed but there is no mention of permanently closing any restaurants and there is no reason to think they would unless this situation persists for an extended period of time.

Here is a quick breakdown of what is going on...

1. Employees were furloughed and were encouraged to seek unemployment benefits.
2. Employee benefits will remain in place until the end of June.
3. Furloughed employees will not be allowed to use PTO during the furlough, but will not lose it.


The official statement from Landry's.

Team Members will not be terminated, but due to the closures most will be placed on immediate furlough. All team members with a loss of hours are encouraged to reach out to the state as soon as possible regarding the potential payment of unemployment benefits… We have made the decision to maintain benefits for those team members currently enrolled in our health plan and who have accepted and remain on furlough through June 30, 2020.

However, at this time the Company is suspending use of PTO until further notice. Therefore, hourly team members may not request or use PTO until further notice. Any accrued hours will be available upon your return for future use. Should you choose to resign from employment during this time, in accordance with applicable laws, we will pay out accrued and unused PTO, and your benefits coverage (if any) will terminate at the end of this month, March 2020. Any Team Members who choose to resign will not be scheduled when operations resume and will need to reapply for any open positions, once available.

Salaries team members who are placed on furlough will not receive pay during that time. Salaried team members on furlough will not be permitted to access e-mail or any other systems while off, and should not respond to any work-related calls. If any manager asks you to work or perform any tasks related to work while on furlough, please contact Human Recourses.

It is our sincere hope that these changes will only be in place for a short time. We look forward to getting back to work soon with our valued Team Members. We hope that everyone stays healthy and safe during these times.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Unfortunately restaurant owners small and large, among other business owners are having to make hard decisions. No one can predict the length of this crisis or how many will even survive and be able to reopen. Its a wait, hope, pray, wait it out the best you can and see what is waiting on the other side situation. Larger corporations will have more capital to count on and will have better odds on rehiring back most if not all staff. Even those will be touch and go. Rainforest has been popular and theres no reason Disney wouldnt want them back.

 

[tonymu]

Here in Houston where the company is headquartered and where we have many of their different brands of restaurants they have been feeding furloughed employees everyday since at least Friday.

 

[Simba’s Mom]

Here in Houston where the company is headquartered and where we have many of their different brands of restaurants they have been feeding furloughed employees everyday since at least Friday.

Unfortunately, that's not the case in every city. DS works for Landry's in Times Square, NYC-come to think of it, there they probably wouldn't want their employees going out. But just in case, thanks for the info-I'll double-check with him.

 

[Fox&Hound]

We ate there last trip as a fun experience, and I will never do it again. The food was appalling.....I kind of wished this would become something different.

 

[The Grand Inquisitor]

Could we see the closure and removal of Rainforest Cafe at the parks?