Navarre's Grillehouse and Seagull Sam's abruptly closes until March, to dismay of employees

Mississippi-based upscale steakhouse, The Grillehouse Steak & Seafood, created a splash when it opened in Navarre in November 2022. The restaurant was owned by chef and restaurateur Clint Boutwell, along with a more causal concept named Mango Mary’s Daquiri Bar next door.

Now, only a month after making the decision to rebrand Mango Mary’s into Seagull Sam’s in October, Boutwell is bringing both restaurants to a halt with plans of reopening them in March 2024.

Boutwell took to social media to post statements on both the Seagull Sam’s and The Grillehouse Facebook pages on Sunday.

“It is with a heavy heart and long thought, that I’ve had to make a decision I had hoped that I wouldn’t. Due to the seasonal nature of our business, we will be closing tonight and reopening on or about March 1, 2024,” the statement read. "Thank you first off, to my A++ team of employees that turned the outdoor culture around and gave FANTASTIC service to our wonderful guests each day!! Not to mention our stellar indoor Grillehouse team that produced delicious food, cocktails and outstanding service as well!!"

However, employees had words of their own to share about the sudden closure, which was announced only days before Thanksgiving.

“What a FANTASTIC way to learn you just lost your job!” Seagull Sam’s bartender Mary Autry posted on Facebook of the announcement. “No (expletive) NOTICE! No one knew. When I left work today I wish I would’ve known this was my last day.”

Autry told the News Journal that the closure began with Boutwell’s last-minute announcement to the staff that they would be closing the week of Thanksgiving. Autry said staff tried to persuade him otherwise due to the traffic generated from Black Friday and the post-holiday weekend. However, he held firm on the closure and said he would be at the store on Sunday to help dispose of perishable goods that would not survive the week’s break.

She said it was that night when he arrived, long after the regular employees had left, that he began pulling the managers aside individually to deliver the news of the multi-month closure, effective immediately.

Many of the employees who were not in management found out, like the rest of the community, that they were losing their jobs via a Facebook post.

“It’s just a terrible situation,” Autry said. “I understand it happens. I understand it gets slow. We were not told it was a seasonal position.”

Boutwell told the News Journal that it was a decision he “didn’t take lightly,” but didn’t have much of a choice since sales were not improving, and he had been paying the employees from the past four weeks using summertime sales and savings.

“I announced to managers last week we would close for Thanksgiving week. They asked if sales increased would be stay open, I said yes. Sales were the worst ever due to people just not choosing to dine with our establishments,” Boutwell said. "To give reference: Sales pays for all bills in a business. Current sales were less than weekly payroll. The decision was something I didn't take lightly as I consulted with the company attorneys and accountants and upon their advisement, we determined closing was the only option to stop the bleeding. All employees and vendors will be paid without any hiccup as usual.”

Autry said this is not the first time that Boutwell has rebuilt his staff over a prolonged closure. After Mango Mary’s abruptly closed in September, he started basically from scratch with Seagull Sam’s staff in October, except for managers. As for her, she said she will not be waiting around until March to get her position back, as she depends on each day's wages to provide for her family.

In the meantime, the Navarre community has been posting job opportunities to help get the employees rehired.

Even though Boutwell reportedly plans to reopen in March, currently the restaurant property at 8491 Navarre Parkway is listed with Coldwell Banker Realty for $5,650,000. The listing was last updated on Nov. 15 when the price was dropped by 4.24%.

Boutwell thanked his employees for their service and guests for their patronage in the online closure announcement.

“Thank you also, to all our guests that enjoyed the food and service as often as they could! Without you, there wouldn’t have been any opportunity," his Facebook statement concluded. "Please, everyone keep our staff and their families in your thoughts and prayers as we move through the next couple of months and reopen in March. Cheers and Thank You!!”

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: The Grillehouse and Seagull Sam's close in Navarre until March