The kitchen and dining room at the Elks Lodge in Albert Lea are now closed, according to people who were let go Saturday from the Elks.

Employees received a letter this weekend from the organization’s local officers explaining that leaders of the Grand Elks Lodge — the national organization — came in last week and will now be in control of the local Albert Lea lodge.

While the kitchen and dining room will be closed, the bar will remain open.

“How long this will last, or what will happen after this, we do not know,” the letter stated.

The letter acknowledged the hard work of the organization’s employees.

The Albert Lea Elks Lodge has about 2,000 members and is the 12th largest Elks chapter in the United States, according to a story printed in the Tribune in 2006.