Beloved Seattle BBQ restaurant announces sudden closure

Employees of Pike's Pit Bar-B-Que said they found out from managers this week that the restaurant would be permanently shutting down on Saturday.

SEATTLE - Employees of a beloved Seattle BBQ restaurant are reeling at the sudden closure of its Pike Place Market location.

Pike's Pit Bar-B-Que, which is under the umbrella of Peco's Pit International Franchise LLC, is shutting down on Saturday. Employees said they found out this week from managers that the restaurant is permanently closing its doors.

A sign went up in the restaurant ahead of the weekend, reading, "Haven't tried our BBQ? Now is your LAST chance! Closing forever!"

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An employee of Pike's Pit who asked to remain anonymous told FOX 13 Seattle that they are worried for the future.

"Everyone's very shocked, it was so sudden. People who are usually regulars were stopping by and just couldn't believe that we were closing down."

Peco's has multiple restaurants around western Washington, including West Seattle, Sodo, and Yelm.

A manager at one of the Peco's Pit locations said the company isn't closing all its restaurants, but is making some decisions to downsize. More information will be available at a later time.