Boston Market may be shrinking in the U.S., but the company is apparently opening something similar on the other side of the world.
Boston Chicken India opened its doors in Delhi last month, according to posts on the restaurant’s Instagram page. The page calls the restaurant “India’s first flagship outlet of the popular U.S. brand” and promises customers “fresh rotisserie chicken.”
One of the posts includes photos featuring Jay Pandya, who bought Boston Market in 2020. Pandya acquired Corner Bakery the same year, but lost control of that company after it filed for bankruptcy last year. He still owns Boston Market.
A LinkedIn post says the restaurant is “where American tradition meets Indian hospitality.” Photos and videos appear to reveal something of an upscale version of Boston Market, a fast-casual concept.
Pandya’s role in Boston Chicken is uncertain, but two listed directors of Boston Chicken India are Dipak Joshi and Krupal Rathod, both of whom were directors of Engage India, which Pandya set up to handle accounting for the two restaurant chains in 2021, according to legal documents and public filings.
In the U.S., Boston Market remains a shell of itself. A list of locations shared with Restaurant Business—and the company’s website—indicate the brand has just 16 restaurants remaining.
That suggests Boston market has closed 95% of its locations since the end of 2022, when the brand began shuttering restaurants at a rapid clip, largely as landlords forced closures over unpaid rent or locations were closed due to unpaid utility bills.
At last count, in March, the brand operated 27 locations.
Pandya bought Boston Market and Corner Bakery and after some time stopped paying bills. The two chains were sued numerous times over unpaid bills, including a lawsuit filed by US Foods last year. The giant distributor was ultimately awarded $15 million. Several creditors who won judgments against the company have fought over access to one of Boston Market’s bank accounts.
Workers of Boston Market frequently went unpaid and former employees were hit with surprise medical bills over unpaid insurance premiums and struggled to file taxes or claim unemployment benefits following store closures.
Pandya and his wife, meanwhile, tried unsuccessfully to file for personal bankruptcy twice. Both attempts were ultimately terminated.
As for Boston Chicken India, social posts feature plenty of images of rotisserie chicken. But there are also chicken wings, something Boston Market routinely said it planned to serve in the U.S. There are also Indian dishes such as Murg Malai Tikka.
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