Langhorne Restaurant Abruptly Closes Its Doors

The Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant, bordering the Oxford Valley Mall in Langhorne, abruptly closed its doors Sunday night, leaving employees displaced and some customers bewildered.

As of Monday morning, the location was already removed from the chain's official website.

During lunchtime on Monday, nothing would have looked out of place, except for the desolate interior and a legion of workers hastily removing the vacant building's contents into the back of a U-HAUL trailer.

There was no notice of the restaurant's closure when Patch covered the Langhorne Cheeseburger in Paradise for its weekly column nearly a week prior.

By all accounts, the closure literally popped up overnight.

A sign was placed on the front entrance of the restaurant Sunday morning.

"We want to express our appreciation to our loyal customers in Oxford Valley for their support and patronage. It is with great sadness that we have closed This Cheeseburger in Paradise."

According to Jerry Sullivan, the Joint Venture Partner for the restaurant chain in Pennsylvania, the closure of the Langhorne store was not planned originally.

"We were recently approached by another party who had interest in redeveloping the site. After careful consideration, it was determined that accepting the offer fits with the strategic direction of the company. We would like to thank our management team and our employees for all their hard work," Sullivan said.

Sullivan declined to comment further on the issue or the offer, citing a standing confidentiality agreement with the third party.

Representatives from the company stated that they are currently working on placing the restaurant's workers.

The abrupt closure left a sour taste in the mouth of 25-year-old patron John Ehresmann.

"I think when you close any business you should at least give some notice. It's rough for the customers be forced to find another place to go, but it really sucks for the cooks and staff when they need to scramble to find a new job," Ehresmann said.

The subject hits him close. Ehresmann said earlier this year his best friend woke up one morning to find out that he was jobless when his place of employment, Six Avenue Electronics in Langhorne, abruptly closed overnight.

"It's hard out there. You have to give people some kind of notice," Ehresmann said.

The Oxford Valley Cheeseburger in Paradise had been in operation in the area since January 2006. The restaurant chain itself, named after a Jimmy Buffett song with the same name, began operations in early 2002 before quickly expanding to 34 locations in 17 different states.

Company officials stated any Langhorne-area patrons who may have gift cards can redeem them at anytime by Dec. 30, 2011 at any other Cheeseburger in Paradise location or visit the official website to request a full refund.

The closest Cheeseburger In Paradise to Levittown is 40 miles away in Exton, Pa.