Playa Vista, Calif. — California Pizza Kitchen (CPK) is the latest fast-casual restaurant chain to file for bankruptcy protection due to strain brought on by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas on July 30, 2020 in order to “close unprofitable locations, reduce its long term debt load and quickly emerge from bankruptcy as a much stronger company,” according to the filing. The Playa Vista, Calif.-based company did not release a list detailing which …
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Burleson, Texas — Muscle Maker, Inc., the parent company of Muscle Maker Grill, Healthy Joe’s and MMG Burger Bar, has opened its first delivery-only ghost kitchen in the Chicago market. Located at 3517 N. Spaulding Ave. the kitchen will showcase menus from Muscle Maker Grill, Healthy Joe’s and Muscle Maker Grill’s new Meal Plan concept: Meal Plan AF. Guests can order dishes from any of the three concepts through third-party delivery platforms, which include DoorDash, GrubHub, UberEats, Postmates, ChowNow and Caviar. As the demand for delivery increases due to social …
Irvine, Calif. — Juice It Up!, one of the nation’s leading handcrafted smoothie, açaí bowl and raw juice chains, has promoted Susan Taylor to president and chief executive officer. She joined Juice It Up!’s senior leadership team last September as vice president of operations. A restaurant industry veteran of nearly 30 years, 14 of which were with Jamba, Taylor will lead Juice It Up!’s next phase of growth. Celebrating its 25-year anniversary in 2020, the Juice It Up! brand was acquired in 2018 by SJB Brands, LLC, a partnership between …
Chesterfield, Mo. — NewGround, a St. Louis-based innovative architecture, design and project management firm, has promoted Susan Fischer to director of interior design, effective July 27, with Jill Schumaier’s impending retirement later this year. Fischer has 15 years of commercial interior design experience working with clients in the financial, corporate, retail and hospitality sectors. She brings an impressive organizational skill set, excellent client relations and high-quality design experience to succeed in her new management role. NewGround is an industry thought leader in strategy, innovative design and project management. For over …
Fort Mill, S.C. — Diversey, a leading global hygiene and cleaning company, has launched its new Clean and Ready Program. The program is designed to respond to the new era of cleanliness, as facilities worldwide begin the process of reopening following the pandemic. The program will be launched globally across the full range of sectors in which Diversey operates, including: hospitality, foodservice, education, offices — specifically targeting building service contractors (BSCs) — and in retail environments. “There is now an urgent need to convey a visible commitment to the highest …
Miami — Miami, a major U.S. city that continues to experience a spike in COVID-19 cases, recently signed an emergency order limiting restaurants to outdoor dining only. To help businesses survive and keep locals safe, the City of Miami has curated a city-wide outdoor dining pilot program to allow restaurants to expand onto city streets, parking spaces and sidewalks until January 31, 2021. Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood has officially closed Fuller Street as part of the city-wide program — after receiving Miami’s only street closure approval — and has since transformed the …
Union, N.J. — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has named Lynda Markoe as executive vice president, chief people & culture officer. She has extensive industry experience from over 30 years at major retailers and will join Bed Bath & Beyond in September 2020. As a key member of the leadership team, she will report to Mark Tritton, Bed Bath & Beyond’s president and CEO, and will be responsible for the company’s People growth pillar, which is focused on creating a talent engine and culture that attracts, retains and develops diverse …
Los Angeles — FAT (Fresh. Authentic. Tasty.) Brands Inc. is resuming its “healthcare heroes initiative” by bringing its Fatburger “Fatmobile” food truck to local hospitals to cook fresh, tasty meals for healthcare workers across the L.A. region. During the pandemic in April and May, the Fatmobile made stops at dozens of area hospitals serving up a total of 25,000 meals for local healthcare heroes. Now, as cases have started to rise in L.A. and the surrounding area, Fatburger plans to dish out an additional 10,000 meals to healthcare heroes. “Since …
Lexington, Ky. — Same-store sales at A&W Restaurants’ franchised gas and convenience store locations jumped by double digits in June, although Americans were driving fewer miles and buying less gas than usual. Sales at A&W’s more than 90 C-store locations were up 10.5%, following an 8.3% increase in May. They were an average of 11% higher during the January-February period before falling off in March and April, the result of the coronavirus pandemic. The strong performance comes as the iconic brand prepares to expand its convenience store and travel center …
Ascena Retail Group Files for Bankruptcy, Plans to Close ‘Significant’ Number of Stores
by Katie Lee
Mahwah, N.J. — Ascena Retail Group, the parent company of clothing brands Ann Taylor, Justice, Loft, Lane Bryant, Catherines and Lou & Grey, has filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. The Mahwah, N.J.-based company has reopened 95% of its stores since the COVID-19 outbreak, though Ascena cited the pandemic as “severely” disrupting the company’s financial foundation. The exact number of store closings was not disclosed, but the company said it will close a “significant” number of Justice stores, …