Duke’s Malibu Lays Off 126 Employees After Mudslide

deadline.com:

After months of fighting the effects of fires and mudslides, Duke’s Malibu has laid off the majority of its employees. The first indications of the news came yesterday after the restaurant showed up on the State of California’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) list, which noted 126 employees were being let go.

The reason for the workforce reduction was listed as “Closure Permanent.” That led to reports that the Malibu landmark — operating as Duke’s since 1996 and serving meals as the Las Flores Inn, the Sea Lion and Charlie Browns successively since 1915 — was closing.

Not so, according to a notice posted late yesterday on the restaurant’s social media channels. That posting reads as follows: UPDATE AS OF 3/25: We are temporarily closed due to the mudslide that caused extensive damage.

However, we anticipate reopening this summer once we complete the cleanup and repairs. We look forward to hiring back our employees and welcoming guests back in a few months.