A brand manager with the franchisee that runs the Pensacola Applebee's Grill & Bar confirmed that the restaurant at 5091 Bayou Blvd. closed down permanently on Friday.

On the front door of the restaurant reads a sign that says, "This Applebee's location is closed. Thank you for being our neighbor. Please visit our other Applebee's location."

Robin Jenkins, a brand manager with franchisee RMH Franchise Corp., did not say why the restaurant closed down in her email statement to the News Journal on Friday, but she did state that many of the team members at the Bayou location will be transferred to the other Pensacola Applebee's at 165 E. Nine Mile Road.

"We greatly appreciate our neighbors' patronage and look forward to continuing to serve guests at the nearby Applebee's restaurant in the area," Jenkins said in the email. "We were able to transfer many team members to other locations and all team members were provided with a severance payment."

RMH, Applebee's second-largest franchisee, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in May. That caused Applebees' corporate parent, Dine Brands Global, to sue RMH in an attempt to prevent the bankrupt operator’s 160-plus restaurants from being liquidated to satisfy creditors, according to a Restaurant Business article published in May.

Jake Newby can be reached at jnewby@pnj.com or 850-435-8538.