INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Details are sparse as to why the newly reopened Nine41 Eatery & Bar shut its doors, apparently without warning, last week.

The restaurant at 941 Tahoe Blvd. — a highly visible location off Incline Village’s main highway that once was home to Stanley’s Restaurant — closed Monday, Oct. 20.

When reached by phone this week, a spokesperson for restaurant owner Jim Puzey — an attorney with the Reno law firm Holley, Driggs, Walch, Puzey & Thompson — confirmed the closure, but said Puzey declined further comment.

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Stanley’s closed several years ago after the old Chevron gas station shuttered next door, requiring years of monitoring to ensure old gas pumps didn’t contaminate both properties.

“Everyone was relying on working there, so everyone was pretty upset when they found out. All the sudden, they have no job and no warning…”
Justin Kaplan
former executive chef, Nine41 Eatery & Bar

Puzey opened Nine41 in the spring of 2013, along with General Manager Adam Bishop and Executive Chef Paul Bonaldi.

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Bishiop eventually left the restaurant, as did Bonaldi, who was replaced last June with Justin Kaplan.

In a phone interview this week, Kaplan said Nine41’s closure “came as quite a shock,” considering he had put in his two weeks notice the week prior due to him moving to a new restaurant in South Lake Tahoe.

“Money never seemed to be an issue there … I gave my notice two weeks ago, but was still going to work and offer my assistance to transition for new staff, or to train staff,” Kaplan said. “Then, everyone on (Oct. 20) either got a text or an email … saying Nine41 was closed immediately, with no real explanation.”

The restaurant featured various American-themed dishes and saw generally good feedback, accounting for a 3.5 rating out of 5 on Yelp.

The business’s website — http://www.nine41.com — is now defunct, and its old phone number no longer works.

“Everyone was relying on working there, so everyone was pretty upset when they found out,” Kaplan said. “All the sudden, they have no job and no warning … (the employees) were pretty pissed about that.”

It’s unclear how many employees were displaced, or what future plans may be in store for the location.