Decades of history, countless friendships and tight-knit bonds were shattered Monday morning when dozens of employees of the former Country Inn on Market Street learned rather unceremoniously that they’d lost their jobs with the restaurant’s unexpected closing that morning.

“I found out about it on Facebook,” said bartender Joe Sanchez, a lifelong Warren resident.

“Just like that. Everyone started coming down.”

By 1 p.m., some 25 former employees of the restaurant, which closed after 30 years amidst lagging sales and business, had gathered in the parking lot, reminiscing about the times they spent together. For many of them, the Country Inn was more than just a job. Their fellow employees and customers were friends and had become close over the years.

“It’s a great place, a great place, a tight knit group,” said Susan O’Hara, who worked at the restaurant for 30 years, back when it was known as the former Tracy’s Restaurant. Former owners Dennis and Elaine Bassett bought it about 23 years ago, she said, renamed it The Country Inn and changed it from the ground up, expanding the kitchen, dining area and forging a strong customer base.

When the restaurant sold more recently to the Jan Companies (Janco) of Cranston, which owns Burger Kings, Newport Creamerys and Krispy Kremes, the nature of the restaurant changed and profits suffered, Ms. O’Hara said. Though Janco named Lyjean Boucher and Mike Medford as managers three months ago, they didn’t give them enough time to turn the restaurant around, Ms. O’Hara said. Still, the closing was unexpected.

“LyJean called me this morning and said, ‘I have bad news.’,” Ms. O’Hara said. “Janco owns everything but they don’t own us anymore.”

Joe Sanchez was a bartender and server, and said he’s angry that Janco closed the business without so much as a personal note to employees. He said there are countless stories of customers and friends over the years, and he remembers many of them.

“So many friends,” he said. “This feels like a funeral or something. But you know what? We didn’t die. We’ll go beyond Janco.”

As cars filtered in and out of the parking lot, some filled with employees, others with customers who were unaware of the closing, Mr. Sanchez gathered a half dozen of his fellow employees and stood for a photo in front of the main entrance. He pulled a “closed” notice from the front door, held it up for the cameras and he and his friends waved good-bye. When they finished, he took the closed notice with him, coiled it into a roll and lit it on fire.

Out in the parking lot, Morgan Hoyt stood with her the cell phone, talking to a friend. The Diman Vocational High School student from Swansea said she had worked at the restaurant for about a year, and was totally surprised to get the news Monday morning.

“I just trained a girl yesterday, it was her first day,” she said. “It was so much fun to work here. Everyone here was so nice.”

As she talked, several employees speculated on the future of the restaurant, saying that if they had the money they’d buy the place and bring it back to its former glory.

Mr. Sanchez said he wasn’t so sure:

“They’ll probably just let it sit here and use it as a tax write-off,” he said.

But as he talked, a white work truck pulled into the parking lot. The driver got out, grabbed a shovel and a large sign from the bed, and carried it over to the main Country Inn sign fronting Market Street.

“Available,” said the sign, with the name of a commercial real estate firm and a phone number in large white letters.

Editor's note: A message left at Jan Companies Monday afternoon was not returned.