Damon’s Grill and Sports Bar will close at the end of the business day Saturday, ending a 20-year operation at its University Boulevard site.

Prospera Hospitality, the Pittsburgh-based management company for the restaurant, announced the closing this week and cited a lack of corporate support and branding for the shut down of the grill and sports bar.

A spokesperson for Prospera Hospitality said the company is working with the 20 employees at Damon’s and hosting representatives from recruitment companies to discuss new employment opportunities, transfers within Prospera and working with local companies such as Best Western Plus and Super 8 to fill positions they have available.

Franciscan University of Steubenville spokesman Tom Sofio said plans called for Damon’s to close when a new restaurant opened at the Inn at Franciscan Square. The Damon’s in Steubenville is one of four remaining corporate restaurants. The other three are located in Sandusky, Ohio; Hazleton, Pa.; and Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Developer Franco Carapellotti announced in April a Rubi’s Pizza and Grill and the Brooklyn Bagel Co. will open at one of two buildings now under construction in front of the Inn at Franciscan Square.

Carapellotti said Tuesday construction on the two buildings “is moving along well.”

“I expect to make an announcement next month regarding the full-service restaurant that will move into the second building. I anticipate that restaurant opening during the first quarter of next year,” Carapellotti said. “We want tenants who will be here for 10, 15 or 20 years and will be good for the community.”

Damon’s International filed for bankruptcy in 2009, but the Steubenville location underwent an extensive renovation just a year later and, despite losing corporate support, the local team maintained a viable restaurant venue that remained a community gathering spot for many years.

The university quietly closed Sandella’s, a coffee shop on University Boulevard, in early August.

“Since its inception, Sandella’s was primarily a coffee shop for Franciscan University students. The closing of Sandella’s will allow Parkhurst Dining Services, which operated Sandella’s, to re-deploy its staff to other positions on campus,” explained Sofio. “We are still evaluating our options for the Damon’s restaurant site as well as the former Best Western hotel facilities and the Sandella’s building. The university is looking at a number of options, but there are no definite plans at this point in time for what we call our lower campus.”