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Taylor Gourmet files Chapter 7 bankruptcy

All units shuttered in Washington, D.C., Chicago

Lisa Jennings, Executive Editor

September 28, 2018

2 Min Read
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The 19-unit Taylor Gourmet hoagie chain filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings on Thursday after closing all of its locations in the Washington, D.C. area and Chicago earlier in the week.

According to court documents, the liquidation leaves 50 to 99 creditors, but no funds would be available to unsecured creditors after administration expenses were paid. The company estimated assets between $1 million and $10 million and liabilities between $10 million and $50 million.

The move comes after private-equity firm KarpReilly LLC reportedly pulled its $5.6 million investment after three years. Taylor Gourmet in 2015 had 10 units when it won the backing of KarpReilly, which has a large restaurant portfolio, including Burger Lounge, California Fish Grill, Café Zupas, Eureka and Superba Food Bread.

KarpReilly also recently agreed to sell another early-growth concept it had invested in: Patxi’s Pizza in San Francisco is in the process of being acquired by Elite Restaurant Group, owner of the Slater’s 50/50 and Daphne’s chains.

Neither KarpReilly nor Casey Patten, Taylor Gourmet’s co-CEO, responded to requests for comment.

In an earlier report in the Washington Business Journal, Patten said he was considering three restaurant closures, saying the chain had grown too rapidly.

Patten also cited increased fast-casual competition and higher real estate prices. He said some locations were larger than they needed to be.

Other sources, however, reportedly blamed the fallout after Patten met with President Donald Trump at a small business roundtable at the White House in January 2017, according to the Washingtonian.

Patten, who described himself as apolitical, said the chain suffered a backlash and calls for a boycott. One source said sales declined 40 percent the day after the roundtable.

A spokesman, however, told the Washingtonian that the chain rebounded after the controversy.

Contact Lisa Jennings at [email protected]

Follow her on Twitter: @livetodineout

About the Author

Lisa Jennings

Executive Editor, Nation's Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality

Lisa Jennings is executive editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. She joined the NRN staff as West Coast editor in 2004 as a veteran journalist. Before joining NRN, she spent 11 years at The Commercial Appeal, the daily newspaper in Memphis, Tenn., most recently as editor of the Food and Health & Wellness sections. Prior experience includes staff reporting for the Washington Business Journal and United Press International.

Lisa’s areas of expertise include coverage of both large public restaurant chains and small independents, the regulatory and legal landscapes impacting the industry overall, as well as helping operators find solutions to run their business better.

Lisa Jennings’ experience:

Executive editor, NRN (March 2020 to present)

Executive editor, Restaurant Hospitality (January 2018 to present)

Senior editor, NRN (September 2004 to March 2020)

Reporter/editor, The Commercial Appeal (1990-2001)

Reporter, Washington Business Journal (1985-1987)

Contact Lisa Jennings at:

[email protected]

@livetodineout

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisa-jennings-83202510/

 

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