JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — No. 7 wasn't so lucky for Oprah's former private chef, Kenny Gilbert after he announced the closure of his 7th restaurant on the First Coast Monday.
Dubbed "Jacksonville's Best Chef" in a 2018 reader's poll in Folio, Gilbert cited inflation, "reduced guest traffic," turnover and "personal issues" in a Facebook post for the reasons why the restaurant, Silkie's Chicken & Champagne Bar, has closed.
What Gilbert wrote in the post can be read below:
"Good evening. It’s with deep sorrow that we announce the closing of Silkies Chicken and Champagne Bar, effective 6/3/24.
Opening during COVID was a challenging time, but due to your support we excelled.
The last 9 months have been challenging, to say the least. Reduced guest traffic, inflation and employee turnover played a key part in this closure as well as some other personal issues. Nonetheless, we took pride in serving our community and appreciated every single guest that set foot through the doors. I want to Thank all of my staff, past and present for creating memorable moments for our community. We worked extremely hard to serve you and we thank you for the opportunity."
On Tuesday, First Coast News spoke with Gilbert who addressed several rumors about his latest restaurant in the Jacksonville area closing.
One user on Facebook said Gilbert "has the nerve to not pay or inform his staff when he makes these decisions."
In response, Gilbert told First Coast News: "I had to make a call. And so, I made the call. And it took some time. I didn't just wake up and say, 'This is happening today.' I gave a timeframe, right. I looked at if we didn't hit... if in six months, we didn't do what it needed to do, then I was gonna make the call and close it. I had talked to my staff in different meetings and lineups. Going over, just talking the numbers, going over where we were, and the importance of providing quality service and consistent quality food and a clean environment, and making sure that we're consistent."
Another assumption made on social media after reports of the restaurant closing, were multiple people saying the restaurant failed because of its location.
"We're a destination restaurant at the end of the day," Gilbert said. "You're not shopping at you know, Target, you know, Tiffany's, and say, 'Oh, let me just, you know, let me just walk into Sophie's.' You know, the only people that could stumble in there are the locals out of Springfield. And quite honestly, there's probably several people in Springfield that still had never been in a restaurant."
Gilbert further stated that he "missed out on about $12,000" in revenue last year from the restaurant.
The following are Gilbert's six other restaurants that have closed since 2019. *Note: The first four listed below, Gilbert said in January 2019 that he was no longer affiliated with them due to "irreconcilable differences."*
- Gilbert's Hot Chicken
- Gilbert's Beach BBQ
- Seachasers Lounge
- Gilbert's Underground Kitchen - Opened in Fernandina Beach in 2015, Gilbert's Underground Kitchen closed in December 2019. Gilbert said on Instagram that his team at the time, was focusing their efforts on "new projects and future endeavors." The restaurant specialized in traditional southern eats with a modern twist.
- Gilbert's Social - Gilbert said he made the decision to not renew the lease on the building Gilbert's Social was in, as the restaurant closed in October 2019; it was located at 4021 Southside Blvd. Instead, at the time, Gilbert said he wanted to focus on new projects and Gilbert's Underground Kitchen. The restaurant specialized in serving barbecue and traditional southern fare. It had a 4.5 Google rating from nearly 700 reviews.
As for what business ventures Gilbert has in store for himself next, he told First Coast News customers won't have to look too far to find his culinary creations, as he'll still be in the Sunshine State.
"So, I live in Miami," Gilbert said. "I moved to Miami in September of 2022. I'm the vice president of culinary operations for Grove Bay Hospitality Group. You know, we have several street-side restaurants, restaurants in airports. We're actually going to be opening eight restaurants in Raleigh airport, partnering with local chefs, local bakeries, coffee roasters, as well as going over to Rhode Island."