A six-unit Texas chain The Biscuit Bar shuttered all of its restaurants this week after a planned sale fell through at the last minute.
The fast-casual Biscuit Bar was founded seven years ago in Dallas by Jake and Janie Burkett, with a menu of fresh-baked biscuits, sandwiches and tots available for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night dining. A top seller, for example, was The Hoss, named for Janie’s father, which featured fried chicken, sausage gravy, Jack cheese, honey butter and bacon on a biscit.
The company filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy earlier this year, after struggling with rising costs, supply chain instability and a “commercial environment increasingly shaped by large institutional interests,” which created pressures no small business was prepared to endure, the couple said in a social media post on Tuesday.
The Burketts hoped to sell the chain out of bankruptcy, and that looked for a while like that future was possible for the brand. A “respected restaurant group” stepped forward as a buyer. The deal was scheduled to close this month.
But the deal required buy-in from key stakeholders, including a few landlords, the Burketts said in the post.
And some declined to accept the deal.
“Their refusal to compromise or support a path forward ultimately made the sale impossible, leaving us with no legal or financial ability to continue operating,” the post said. “And so, just days before Christmas, we were forced into the most painful decision of our lives.”
More than 100 employees were impacted, which the Burketts said was the most heartbreaking aspect.
“People who brought this brand to life every single day,” the post said. “They now find themselves out of work at the hardest time of the year.”
Every earned wage will be paid. “But we know the loss of income and security so close to the holidays is devastating,” the Burketts wrote.
A GoFundMe has been created to support the chain’s workers, which is being managed by Denney Law Group, and the owners urged fans of the brand to stand with their team.
The Biscuit Bar is among a number of small chains seeking bankruptcy protection this year, including Pieology, Planta, Razzoo’s Cajun Café, Iron Hill Brewery, Opa! Greek Cuisine and Abuelo’s.
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