Customers are surely used to hearing “you don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here,” but those customers are usually nursing their 11th beer at bar closing time, not in the middle of an evening meal. Diners at a Charlotte, N.C. restaurant were surprised to hear that not only would they have to leave because the joint was closing for the night — but forever.

This was no gentle suggestion to finish up at a leisurely pace, either — NBC Charlotte says it was more of a “put down your fork and get to the door.”

Police apparently walked into the restaurant, leaving managers to explain to each table that they’d have to go right that moment. The cops’ presence was required as crowd control, since the restaurant was full of customers. The location was unable to come to a lease agreement, apparently, which prompted its shutdown.

Employees were apparently just as shocked as everyone else — despite rumors of the restaurant’s imminent closing, the sudden action was a surprise.

“They let the employees know last minute, so families lost their jobs… and we all used to work here. So, it’s a big disappointment,” said one former employee.

A note on the door is all that’s left to share the news with customers looking for a meal.

“This… restaurant is no longer open. Our managers and staff have enjoyed serving you and we apologize for the inconvenience.”

*Thanks for the tip, N.D.!

Hops Restaurant to Matthews customers: Get out, we’re closing for good [WCNC]

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