Several popular restaurants across the Bay Area abruptly closed their doors this week. Vine Hospitality group shuttered all seven of its locations, including LB Steak and Left Bank, leaving hundreds of employees suddenly out of work. Vine Hospitality didn’t immediately provide a reason for t he closures. Three of the shuttered restaurants are located at Santana Row in the South Bay. Left Bank Santana Row has closed its doors after more than 20 years of serving fine French cuisine. Two blocks away, the lights are out at LB Steak, ending a run of more than 15 years in business. Down the street, employees at Meso Modern Mediterranean came in Tuesday to pick up their final paychecks. “I just got the news yesterday morning,” said Jonathan Toste, executive chef at Left Bank and Meso Modern Mediterranean. Toste said roughly 300 employees across all seven locations are now out of a job without any warning. “Mainly more emotional because of my staff,” Toste said. “There was a lot of staff that worked in the kitchen and in the restaurant that they don’t know what they’re going to do yet. That’s the hard part.” Slower lunch crowds may have been a factor in the decision to close, at least in Santana Row. “Since it’s mandatory to be open for lunch being a business here and having to pay the overhead in labor and all that, it gets costly, and then when you have no foot traffic during lunch time,” Toste said. A Santana Row spokesperson expressed sympathy for the employees who were let go. They also said the shopping center remains committed to curating culinary experiences that keep its dining mix fresh, relevant, and exciting — signaling new tenants are already on their radar. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Left Bank Brasserie | French Restaurant (@leftbankbrasserie) View this post on Instagram A post shared by LB Steak (@lb.steak) ...read more read less