SAVANNAH, GA.: Paula Deen and her younger brother, Bubba, have shut off the fish fryer and locked the doors at the Savannah seafood restaurant that served as the backdrop to a workplace discrimination lawsuit that stained the celebrity cook’s reputation.
Deen and Bubba Hiers co-owned Uncle Bubba’s Seafood and Oyster House for a decade before the abrupt closure Thursday. A Deen family spokesman issued a release saying Hiers closed the restaurant “to explore development options for the waterfront property on which the restaurant is located.”
In her May 17 deposition, Deen said both Uncle Bubba’s and the Lady & Sons were funded by Paula Deen Enterprises. While Deen’s money kept the doors open and her fame attracted customers, she had little to do with Uncle Bubba’s daily operations.