Did you stop by the Safari Club Thursday evening hoping to get a meal and it was closed? The Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo posted on Facebook Thursday evening that the Safari Club restaurant and food truck are closed for restructuring causing the rumor mill to churn.

Gulf Coast Media received a tip Friday morning that the staff at the Safari Club had quit. We reached out to Joel Hamilton, executive director of the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo, to get more information.

Hamilton said the rumor was untrue but that Safari Club’s general manager and office manager had quit, which triggered the closing. He spoke with us minutes before meeting with the Safari Club staff to dispel rumors and concerns.

When asked when food service would return to the zoo Hamilton said, “We don’t have an answer right now, but our goal is to get it back up and running as soon as we possible can. We had hoped it would be done within a week. That might be a little aggressive, but that is our goal.”

While there could be minor changes to the restaurant once it reopens, Hamilton said The Zoo Foundation board is committed to a similar menu.

“We have made some alteration and changes over the three years the restaurant has been open but they are committed to having a nice menu with a variety of offerings,” Hamilton said. “The food truck that is in the zoo itself provides things that are more family friendly like hot dogs. The restaurant provides a much finer meal particularly our evening meals and brunches. There may be some minor changes to the restaurant, but the overall ideology about the menu is going to remain the same.”

The Safari Club restaurant and food truck will be closed until a new management team can be hired. Follow the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo Facebook page for further updates on reopening.