BY ANDREW FAISON/CONTRIBUTING WRITER
andrew.faison@tidewaternews.com

FRANKLIN—It appears the Franklin Golden Skillet at 1130 Armory Drive has closed.

Phone calls to the restaurant in Franklin went unanswered. No one was at the restaurant on Wednesday or Thursday.

Owner David Shields could not be reached at the Golden Skillet in Ahoskie, N.C., which he also owns. Repeated phone calls to Shields Kita and Southern Delights Catering, both owned by Shields in Ahoskie, were unreturned.

Martin Person, an employee at nearby Schewels Furniture, said he believes the restaurant closed Sunday. He saw people packing equipment into a truck on New Year’s Eve.

“I know it has to be tough for the employees,” Person said. “They were open and busy, the next day it’s closed.”

Shields has owned the Franklin restaurant since Feb. 26, 2010, said Mary Wiggins with the Franklin Commissioner of Revenue’s office.

“This is the first we are hearing about the restaurant closing,” Wiggins said Wednesday.

Prior to Shields’ ownership the restaurant was owned by H&S of Virginia Inc.