Local & Community
Former Enzo’s restaurant employee speaks out after sudden termination
A former employee of Enzo’s Bistro and Bar is speaking out anonymously after the Rancho Mirage restaurant suddenly closed last week, saying employees were terminated without advance notice.
The restaurant, which operated in Rancho Mirage for four years, announced what its owner called a “temporary” closure, citing an emergency maintenance issue and growing financial losses.
However, a former employee told NBC Palm Springs there were no known maintenance problems and that the entire staff was informed of their termination during a mandatory meeting scheduled just two days prior.
The employee said workers received a group text on Monday notifying them of a meeting scheduled for Wednesday morning. Employees were not told the reason for the meeting until they arrived.
“We were all terminated then,” the former employee said.
The former employee said the abrupt decision left staff feeling frustrated and undervalued.
“Personally, it made me feel a bit untrustworthy, invaluable and made me feel expendable,” the employee said.
Enzo’s owner Hal Griffith defends the sudden nature of the closure stating the restaurant remained open until there was no other choice for the owners. Griffith also says the restaurant had been experiencing financial losses and that abruptly closing is common in the restaurant industry because providing advance notice can create security and theft concerns.
Griffith also says employees were properly compensated and that he hopes to provide rehire opportunities in the future. He did not disclose whether employees received severance compensation but said he believes the business did what it could to take care of its staff.
“We stayed open as long as we did for the benefit of the employee,” Griffith said, explaining that the restaurant hoped to generate enough business to remain open.
The former employee disagrees with how the closure was handled and ended the conversation with a message for the restaurant’s ownership: honesty and transparency matter.
Griffith maintains there are currently no plans for a permanent closure. The former employee, however, disagrees with that assessment, as well.
By: Maria Noble Valdez
October 6, 2026
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