The Chain Gang

Without Warning, Marie Callender’s and Perkins Shutter 65 Locations

The company that owns the Marie Callender’s and Perkins chains of restaurants filed for Chapter 11 today, and yesterday closed 65 restaurants nationwide, including about a dozen Marie Callender’s in California. They plan to reduce their workforce by 2,500 as part of a restructuring plan, but the bizarre thing is how some restaurants chose to handle the sudden closure order.

At the Santa Rosa location, employees were told Sunday morning to report and turn in any keys. But according to the blog Claycord, the Walnut Creek Marie Callender’s opened for business as usual yesterday only to figure out, mid-lunch, that they were supposed to close immediately. So they kicked all the diners out, mid-fork lift, without letting them finish their pie or pay.

Perkins & Marie Callender’s Files for Chapter 11 Protection [WSJ]
Marie Callender’s closes suddenly in Santa Rosa [Press Democrat]
CLOSED FOREVER: Marie Callender’s in Concord & Walnut Creek [Claycord]

Without Warning, Marie Callender’s and Perkins Shutter 65 Locations