SPOKANE -- While the dust is still settling over the abrupt closure of 12 Papa John’s restaurants across the Inland Northwest, other pizza eateries are stepping up to help out displaced employees and customers alike.

New information indicates that North Country Pizza, the franchise owner of the 12 restaurants closed sometime overnight between Monday and Tuesday, was in financial trouble as far back as last September.

The corporation was ordered by a judge in September to pay a bank in Louisville, Kentucky nearly $270,000. Louisville is the home of Papa John’s International. It appears that North Country hasn't been paying rent either. At one of its locations in Spokane a sign was posted by the property owners that says that the company owes more than $7,600 in back rent and hasn't paid rent since October.

Additionally there are now more than 100 employees of the 12 restaurants closed down who haven’t received checks for their work in more than two weeks. Checks were supposed to have gone out last Saturday but did not.

“It makes me mad that they couldn't give me a week or two of notice, they had to have know for longer than this,” Emylie Dellwo said.

Employees weren't told the stores were going to close, they just showed up for work Tuesday morning to find the doors locked.

“They could have been a little more open with employees,” employee Larry Kelley said.

Papa John’s International in Louisville wasn’t aware the stores were about to be closed, with officials there saying they had not had any communications with the franchise owners for some time.

While a dozen Papa John’s restaurants have closed in the area, other pizza restaurants wasted no time getting the word out they wanted Papa John’s customers and their employees.

Pizza Rita owner Brian Dickman said Wednesday doesn't know why Papa John's closed but he does know he wants their old customers to buy pizza from him. To that end Pizza Rita will honor and match any Papa John’s coupon and they’ll even take gift cards even though they are worthless to Pizza Rita.

“We'll give a free large pizza for any gift card,” Dickman said.

Whether that card has forty cents or $40 on it if you bring that gift card to Pizza Rita its worth a free pizza.

As for the out-of-work Papa John’s employees, Steven Abigail, region coach for Pizza Hut International, said that he is working on setting up a career fair for all of those displaced workers. Abigail said they are looking to hire for multiple positions at their restaurants in the Spokane, Coeur d’Alene, Pullman and Moscow locations.

The career fair is scheduled for next Wednesday at the Red Lion River Inn.

North Country Pizza has not responded to multiple calls for comment on this story.