Longtime downtown Santa Rosa restaurant Checkers has closed.

A note from owner Katherine Castillo taped to the front of the darkened bistro Wednesday thanked customers for 21 years of patronage. "It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve you," Castillo wrote.

A former employee who now works in a neighboring establishment indicated the restaurant's last day was Friday. Castillo could not be reached for comment.

She'd been open about the challenges the restaurant has faced in recent years.

In 2008, at the beginning of the recession, Castillo had to grapple with a drop in revenue and higher food prices. She laid off one of her eight servers, cut back on non-essential items like flowers and often waited tables herself.

Then in 2009, the bistro was forced to close for two months to repair faulty sewer pipes in the aging brick building.