Lone Star Steakhouse, known for its Texas two-step dancing servers and reasonably priced steaks, has closed three restaurants in Southern California.

Closures in Tustin, Laguna Hills and Corona are part of a string of nationwide shutdowns for the brand. Other Lone Star locations abruptly closed before the weekend in Michigan, Kansas and Colorado, according to various media reports.

A sign posted on the door at the Tustin restaurant said operations ceased Thursday. The rest of the note refers “team members” to a human resources email, indicating the note was likely the first time employees learned of the closure.

Day Star Restaurant Group, the Plano, Texas-based owner of the steakhouse brand, could not be reached for comment.

On Monday, an employee answering the phone at one of the shuttered Southern California restaurants said the closures came without warning to most employees. She confirmed a Lake Elsinore restaurant closed in November. Lone Star’s website lists no locations in California.

The closures come as the casual dining sector has been hit hardest in the postrecession economy. Older, full-service brands are having a harder time attracting “new customers and they’re slowing down,” Technomic President Darren Tristano said at a recent restaurant conference in Newport Beach.

In a state-of-the industry presentation, Tristano said midscale casual brands are losing share to gastropubs and other contemporary locations.

Still, steakhouses and sports bars are performing better than their casual dining peers, according to Technomic. In 2015, Lone Star sales dropped 4.2 percent, and the average sales at all casual dining steakhouses inched down .5 percent, according to Technomic.

Contact the writer: nluna@scng.com