BREWER – The Applebee’s Neighborhood Bar & Grill, located on the corner of Wilson Street and Schilling Drive, is closing April 1, leaving approximately 40 employees searching for new jobs.

“We’re closing Sunday,” bartender Ali Simonds said Monday. “We were told last week.”

A few of the employees have been offered spots at the Bangor Applebee’s, located on Hogan Road, she said.

Applebee’s International Inc. is closing 24 company-owned restaurants nationwide, spokeswoman Laura Tigges said Monday.

“We’re closing our lowest-performing stores,” she said.

Applebee’s, headquartered in Overland Park, Kan., operates more than 1,940 Applebee’s restaurants in 49 states and eight countries, and of those 528 are company-owned, including the Brewer and Bangor restaurants.

The Brewer restaurant opened in January 2005.

“We’re doing as well as expected,” Simonds said.