Black Angus closes 7 restaurantsBlack Angus closes 7 restaurants

LOS ALTOS Calif. The Black Angus Steakhouse chain said it has shuttered seven locations this week because of “disappointing sales.”

The closures were in Thousand Oaks, Calif.; Scottsdale, Ariz.; Las Vegas; and two each in the Salt Lake City and Denver markets. Seventy-five locations remain in eight states. Officials said employees at the shuttered restaurants would be offered the opportunity to transfer to other locations.

Bruce MacDiarmid, Black Angus president and chief executive, said: “It is no secret that our sales, like most other dinnerhouse companies, have been disappointing. While we will continue to focus our efforts on increasing the frequency of our guests’ visits and encouraging trial by new guests, the current economy presents challenges that have impeded our short-term success.”

The 44-year-old steakhouse chain, formerly known in some states as Stuart Anderson’s Black Angus and Cattle Co., is a subsidiary of American Restaurant Group Inc.