Recently in restaurants Category

A pair of high-profile Manhattan dining institutions filed for bankruptcy in recent days. Café des Artistes, an Upper West Side classic, made its filing this week after closing its doors last month. The restaurant had been open since 1917 and is well known for its murals and protracted meals.

A few blocks away, Tavern on the Green filed for bankruptcy as well, although its current owner promises to continue operations until the end of the year. Unlike Café des Artistes, which has closed for good, Tavern's operating license has been sold to another operator, who takes over in 2010.

The pair are the latest casualties in a difficult year for restaurants; several notable high-end eateries, including La Goulue and Payard, closed in recent months. The Bloomberg article linked above notes New York's restaurant industry, an integral part of its social and economic infrastructure, has declined 11 percent this year.

Fatburger's California and Nevada subsidiaries filed for bankruptcy and are in need of loan restructuring. Indications are their Fatburger locations, 32 in all, will stay open during the proceedings. The bankruptcy affects more than a third of all Fatburger stores.

This weekend's New York Times consumer-economy article is about overcapacity in the nation's restaurants. Stores-to-customers ratios have actually been in decline since 2005, leading to significant overcapacity that is making a difficult economy even worse. Forecasters are expecting as many as 20,000 net restaurant closings in the next few years as consumers' spending adjustments solidify.

Restaurant chain Tumbleweed filed for bankruptcy protection in Kentucky. The company and its franchisees run 40 restaurants in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio and overseas. All Tumbleweed Southwestern Grill outlets are continuing to operate during the restructuring.

Brinker International, which owns casual dining chains such as Chili's and On the Border, has closed 35 restaurants in response to declining sales. The company, which hopes to have more franchised outlets in the future, also sold its Romano's Macaroni Grill chain. Brinker's official filing did not specify the restaurants affected by the closing.

Starbucks is closing 300 more stores to deal with slower sales. The announcement comes just six months after the coffee chain announced 600 store closings and a focus on business essentials. Two hundred of the new stores are in the United States, the rest international.

Starbucks, which is fighting mightily to maintain its growth and profitability in the wilted economy, has embarked on numerous initiatives in recent months to boost its brand image. The company has offered free coffee in exchange for pledging five hours of volunteering or voting in the presidential election.

ARG Enterprises, owner of Black Angus Steakhouse restaurants, cited its locations as a primse factor in a bankruptcy filing announced this week. Black Angus has 69 outlets in seven states that are "some of the areas hardest hit by the mortgage crisis," according to an ARG executive. Buyouts and store closings are not yet formalized.

The popular and successful B.R. Guest restaurant chain announced a series of closings as part of a restructuring effort (not, it should be noted, a bankruptcy). "In order to keep our business strong and competitive, we have no choice but to scale back and streamline our company," said president and founder Stephen Hanson.

In New York, B.R. Guest's hometown, the company closed Fiamma, Level V, and this writer's favorite, Ruby Foo's on the Upper West Side. Fiamma and Level V are being converted into event space and a new restaurant, respectively. Blue Water Grill in Chicago is also closing.

The New York Times' Diner's Journal Blog interviewed Fiamma chef Fabio Trabocchi after the announcement. Trabocchi reported sales declines of 25 to 30 percent since the start of the financial crisis.

Resturant chain Ruby Tuesday is responding to a decline in sales by closing 70 stores. Forty of the outlets will close by March; others will be closed over time, and some excess property is for sale. Ruby Tuesday operates nearly 1000 restaurants overall, most of them company-owned.

Paige Restaurant Group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week to escape its leases. The filing was done to get the restaurant Honey out of its space in the Meatpacking district. The group, which also owns The Hill, Dune Southampton and The Event Space, is reporting otherwise steady business.

San Diego restaurant chainlet Boll Weevil closed all six company-owned locations and is filing for bankruptcy. The company, which dates to 1967, once had 19 restaurants. Boll Weevil had a history of financial trouble, including two previous bankruptcy filings and an insurance incident in 1997 that temporarily closed a dozen doors. This is the last go-round, however; the company plans a liquidation under Chapter 7 law.

Metromedia Steak Houses, owner of the Ponderosa and Bonanza restaurant chains, announced a chapter 11 bankruptcy filing Wednesday. The company reportedly has assets totaling less than $10 million. It is planning a reorganization to "a profitable core" of restaurants, suggesting store closings in the near future.

Metromedia was also the parent company of Bennigan's and Steak & Ale, which closed for good under Chapter 7 bankruptcy this summer.

Regional barbecue restaurant chain Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Q filed for bankruptcy Thursday. The 10-store chain immediately closed four outlets, but plans to continue operations during the restructuring.

When Bennigan's announced its bankruptcy filing last month, it went straight to Chapter 7 and immediately closed its company-owned doors. Interestingly, franchisees can continue to operate, although sourcing food and maintaining promotions must be nearly impossible with no parent company guiding the operations.

Mrs. Fields Famous Brands LLC is planning a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing and is asking creditors for input

The company, which dates to 1977, is having difficulty managing fuel and ingredient costs. Any restructuring plans will affect both Mrs. Fields Cookies and TCBY outlets.