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Miami Herald
07-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
After failed bankruptcy filings, iconic restaurant tries comeback
Business After failed bankruptcy filings, iconic restaurant tries comeback When a company files for bankruptcy, it gets a chance to negotiate with its creditors, vendors, and landlords. Sometimes it can gain concessions and find new money that allow it to keep operating. In many cases, the various businesses and people a company owes money to see value in its survival. Maybe the bankrupt operation ran out of money because of a once-in-a-lifetime situation like the Covid pandemic or some other catastrophic event. Related: Walmart makes major patriotic move ahead of tariffs Many vendors and landlords see the value in keeping a once-good customer afloat, even if it means forgiving some debt or taking equity in return for money owed. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter But, in order for that to happen, a company has to be able to successfully file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection with a United States district court. Boston Market owner Jignesh "Jay" Pandya has made some financial missteps over the past few years. The chain, which used to count McDonald's as a part owner, essentially no longer exists. It has a couple of dozen locations that carry its name, but the corporate entity has been largely out of operation aside from the occasional press release. Boston Market lost market share to cheap chickens from Costco,. Image source: Shutterstock Boston Market has been on a downward spiral While Boston Market traces its roots to a Boston suburb, its most recent headquarters was in Colorado. That location was seized in May 2022 by the Colorado Department of Revenue over $329,00 in unpaid sales and payroll taxes. The chain has also been quickly shrinking as all of its Florida and Connecticut locations abruptly shut down in late 2023. Boston Market's biggest problem may be its massive debt to its key supplier, US Foods. The chicken chain owes US Foods $11 million and it faces over 140 lawsuits in a variety of state and federal courts over everything from unpaid wages to overdue rent, and vendors who have not been paid. It's hard to be a rotisserie chicken chain when your vendors won't sell you chicken. A Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing might allow the company to fix those issues, but courts have twice rejected Pandya's efforts to personally file. In his most recent attempt in March 2024 to file, the court actually banned him from trying again for six months. Restaurant and retail closings: "It appears unlikely Boston Market will have the finances to stay afloat or grow," RetailDive shared at the time. Boston Market, however, while it may be mostly defunct, has soldiered on, and Pandya has a new plan for its comeback. Boston Market adds a new location It's important to note that Boston Market did not fail simply because of financial mismanagement. It also saw an increase in competition in the space it once pioneered. Yes, Boston Market might offer a better product, but Costco sells a whole rotisserie chicken for $4.99. That makes it very hard to stay competitive but a new restaurant operating under a license from Boston Market has opened in Buffalo. Under his latest attempt to revive the brand Pandya will license the concept to others who want to operate a Boston Market location, according to Buffalo Business First. Pandya claims he has already received hundreds of inquiries about reopening restaurants all over the country. "He's licensing the concept to other owners who recognize the potential of the brand because the current business is not set up to accept franchisees," according to the report. In theory, these new locations would not be liable for any of the bills owed by the parent company. They would pay Pandya a fee in exchange for the branding (and maybe some recipes, but not the support a traditional franchisor would offer). This follows an attempt by the cash-strapped owner to license the concept to non-traditional players. Related: Popular beverage brand closing more stores "Boston Market is forging relationships with various food service management companies across the United States to develop unique restaurant locations. We're looking forward to partnering with industry leaders that are developing unique opportunities for restaurants in airports, hospitals, hotels, military bases, and university or college campuses," it shared on its website. The chain does not list any locations using that model on its website. The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc. This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 2:29 PM.
New York Times
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Ocean Vuong Was Ready to Kill. Then a Moment of Grace Changed His Life.
Seen in a soft light, Ocean Vuong's life looks like a modern American fairy tale. In 1990, he and his mother came to this country as refugees from Vietnam. They landed in small-town Connecticut and began muddling their way through an existence limited by low-paying work and cultural and personal alienation. Vuong seemed destined to stay stuck on society's margins. Until, that is, he discovered literature and his own enormous gift for writing. Now Vuong is one of the country's most esteemed poets, winner of a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship (a.k.a. a 'genius grant') and a tenured professor in the creative-writing department at New York University. His bittersweet debut novel, 'On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous,' a marvel of emotional and narrative compression published in 2019, became a best seller and, over time, a bona fide millennial classic. All this, and he's only 36. But there's another side to Vuong's narrative, one that doesn't resolve so neatly. It's that side of his history that informs his new novel, 'The Emperor of Gladness,' which will be published on May 13. At 400-plus pages, with a large cast of characters and comedic set pieces and touching on fast-food jobs, elder care and the static nature of most American lives, 'Emperor' is a bigger book in every way than Vuong's first. It also provided the occasion for what turned out to be one of the most emotionally intense interviews I've ever done. Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube | Amazon | iHeart | NYT Audio App Your new novel is based in part on your experiences working at fast-food restaurants. Where did you work? I worked at a place called Boston Market and a place called Panera. I was living in HUD housing with my mother and my brother. It was this situation where if your family income surpassed [a certain minimum], then you can't live there anymore. In the summers, I worked on a tobacco farm, which was $9.50 cash, no Uncle Sam involved. You confront, as a teenager, this antithesis of American prosperity and upward mobility where it's like, 'Don't make too much money, or we'll be homeless.' So I went to Boston Market, which is a very eye-opening experience of American life. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Which Georgia restaurants will be open on Easter Sunday? Here's where to get your meals
With Easter Sunday approaching, Georgians are planning their holiday meals. According to Parade, around 30 restaurants and fast food options will be open, for those who prefer to dine out. Easter is later this season, coming on April 20. More: Which Georgia grocery stores will be open on Easter Sunday? Here's where to get your eggs Here is a list. It is important to note that some of these spots might have alternate hours of operation, so it is best to call your nearest locations to confirm. Applebee's Benihana Boston Market Buffalo Wild Wings Burger King Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen Chili's Cracker Barrel Denny's Domino's Dunkin' Donuts Hard Rock Café Wendy's Jimmy John's McDonald's P.F. Chang's IHOP KFC O'Charley's Olive Garden Panera Bread Shake Shack Taco Bell Texas Roadhouse The Cheesecake Factory TGI Fridays Red Lobster Sonic Drive-In Starbucks Waffle House Vanessa Countryman is the Trending Topics Reporter for the the Deep South Connect Team Georgia. Email her at Vcountryman@ This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Which Georgia restaurants will be open on Easter Sunday?
