The 11-unit Clover Food Lab chain has warned that all units may close if it doesn’t find a buyer.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based plant-based concept on Monday filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act letter with the state, saying 182 workers could be laid off at the end of May.
Reports indicate that the regional chain is seeking a buyer to prevent the closure of all the restaurants. Officials with Clover did not immediately respond to requests for more information.
Clover was launched originally as a food truck in 2008, and grew to 12 units before filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023.
It was founded by Ayr Muir as a concept that focused on the use of locally sourced ingredients and restaurants were served by a central commissary. Former Panera Bread CEO Ron Shaich was an early investor.
The chain emerged from bankruptcy the following year, saying it planned to aggressively expand to up to 60 restaurants around New England over five years, though it wasn’t clear how the company planned to finance that growth.
Clover was one of a number of plant-based chains that saw a rapid rise, before interest in vegetarian and vegan dining began to wane. The vegan chain Planta filed bankruptcy and was sold to its lender earlier this year. Atlanta-based Slutty Vegan has struggled and its founder Aisha “Pinky” Cole filed for personal Chapter 11 this year. Actor Kevin Hart’s Hart House chain in Los Angeles abruptly shuttered all units in 2024.
Veggie Grill closed about 40% of its units before being acquired by Next Level Burger.
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