Under its current management, the Wild Willy’s Burger eatery in South Portland was not operating up to snuff, which is why Jim Williams, president of the restaurant chain, encouraged the owners to close up shop.

On Tuesday, Williams told the Current he was surprised, however, to learn that management had not informed employees of the plans to close the South Portland restaurant, which is located on Westbrook Street near the Redbank neighborhood.

Williams said that failure to notify the employees is why several of them showed up Monday to find the burger joint closed. He said that all the employees, though, would receive the pay they are owed.

Williams started the first Wild Willy’s in York in 2000, and the chain now has four other locations – one in New Hampshire and three in Massachusetts.

Like most restaurant chains, the Wild Willy’s eateries are all independently owned, but as the president of the corporation, Williams said he has the overall responsibility of ensuring that each location upholds the brand’s name.

He said the Wild Willy’s in South Portland was sold to new owners about a year ago. Those owners were not on site, as the previous owner was, and put control of the restaurant into the hands of a management team.

On Tuesday Williams said, “The new management never cut the mustard and didn’t uphold the standards” he felt were necessary, which is why he encouraged the owners to close.

Williams also said the owners of the building that houses Wild Willy’s were anxious to remodel and so circumstances all came together to close the doors, at least for now.

Williams “definitely wants a Wild Willy’s in the Portland area” and said it’s possible the restaurant would re-open in the same location, although that decision would be up to the restaurant’s owners, as well as the owner of the building on Westbrook Street.

“There’s a big difference between an on-site owner and a management team,” Williams said about the reasons Wild Willy’s shut down. “And having an absentee owner does make a difference, as well.”

He also said the owners of the South Portland Wild Willy’s are “not restaurant guys,” which all meant that the customer and the brand were both losing out.

“You can lose your reputation a lot faster than it takes to make it,” Williams added.

He said since the news that the Wild Willy’s in South Portland has closed began to spread, he’s received many supportive emails from local patrons who all said how much they enjoyed eating at the upscale burger restaurant.

That’s one reason Williams is hopeful about the eatery re-opening in South Portland.

“I love South Portland, and I definitely want to be in that area, if possible,” he said.

The Wild Willy’s Burger joint on Westbrook Street in South Portland closed this week.