Longtime Pizza Factory manager Jeff Webb talks on his phone to his attorney while Baldwyn Police monitor his presence. Officers said they were ordered to prevent Webb from entering the building and could not leave until Webb left, under order of Pizza Factory owner Brenda Webb. Brenda Webb abruptly closed the business Monday afternoon. News photo/Brenda Daher
Pizza Factory in Baldwyn was abruptly closed Monday afternoon by owner Brenda Webb as part of a legal dispute about the business’ operation.
Webb has said she does not plan to run the business by herself, but would not go into details on why she opted to close the popular restaurant that has been a fixture in Baldwyn since 1984.
“Let’s just say, for the time being, it’s going to be closed for a while,” Webb said. “I’m sorry it came to this. At this point I just have no statement.”
The closure puts 25 employees of the restaurant out of a job and the future of the business in limbo. Longtime operations manager Jeff Webb said the dispute arises from the financial operation of the business, which he had recently resumed management over.
Jeff Webb said Brenda Webb presented him with a letter Monday stating the business was showing a financial loss. Jeff Webb said, however, the only losses the business had incurred were funds that had been withdrawn from Pizza Factory accounts and that business at the restaurant last month had actually increased 10 percent from the same time period last year.
“My attorney just said to leave for right now and not cause a scene,” said Jeff Webb, who was very visibly upset by the surprise events. Baldwyn Police were called to the scene to prevent Jeff Webb from entering the building and had to stay on the scene until he left the premises. Webb said he wanted to stay long enough to speak to some of the employees.
Pizza Factory was launched in September 1984 by Webb’s father, Tim Webb, who was married to Brenda Webb for 41 years until the time of his death. Tim Webb died in December 2017, upon which time Brenda Webb took over operation of the business. Jeff Webb had been the operations director of the business for decades.
This is a developing story. Check back with The Baldwyn News for updates.
A handwritten note on the door of Pizza Factory on Monday afternoon states that the business is closed. News photo/Brenda Daher
