Spring Break
Bennigan's bankruptcy leaves many jobless
By: Kenny Ryan
Issue date: 7/31/08 Section: News
Stephen Reddin, a sophomore chemical engineering major, woke up and drove to work like he would any other day. As he pulled up to the Bennigan's in Katy where he works, he found a parking lot that was unusually empty. Greeting him at the door was a sign that read, "closed until further notice."
Reddins story repeated itself at more than 100 Bennigan's locations across the country as the franchise folded and filed chapter seven bankruptcy, liquidating all of its assets and shutting down.
Bennigan's closing came as a shock to some, and employees found themselves looking for answers.
"I called a couple of people I knew, and didn't get answers till an hour and a half later," Reddin said. "A friend said, 'Yeah, Bennigan's went bankrupt.'"
"I looked it up on [Wikipedia.org] and on the bottom of the page it had a link to the bankruptcy announcement."
In College Station, employees of the local Bennigan's said there were warning signs of trouble on the horizon.
"Bennigan's has been closing a few stores over the past two months," said T.J. Boyle, a graduate student and bartender who has worked at Bennigan's for two years. "There were several that would close down, and we thought there was a possibility we might be [closing] because [we were an] old store.
"The last the two weeks we were told we were in the clear, and this morning we were shut down."
Restaurant closings were not the only signs of trouble to experienced employees.
"They got rid of 11 of our 20 beer taps about a week and a half ago," said Leah Hollowell, a Bennigan's employee since January and class of 2010 nutrition major. "We are kind of known for beer, so them taking away that much beer… [The closing] wasn't that big of a surprise."
Brody Earles, a sophomore general studies major and seasonal bennigans employee, said he planned to return to his job when school began in the fall. Earles said he talked to Boyle and they were surprised that the restaurant had not declared chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Reddins story repeated itself at more than 100 Bennigan's locations across the country as the franchise folded and filed chapter seven bankruptcy, liquidating all of its assets and shutting down.
Bennigan's closing came as a shock to some, and employees found themselves looking for answers.
"I called a couple of people I knew, and didn't get answers till an hour and a half later," Reddin said. "A friend said, 'Yeah, Bennigan's went bankrupt.'"
"I looked it up on [Wikipedia.org] and on the bottom of the page it had a link to the bankruptcy announcement."
In College Station, employees of the local Bennigan's said there were warning signs of trouble on the horizon.
"Bennigan's has been closing a few stores over the past two months," said T.J. Boyle, a graduate student and bartender who has worked at Bennigan's for two years. "There were several that would close down, and we thought there was a possibility we might be [closing] because [we were an] old store.
"The last the two weeks we were told we were in the clear, and this morning we were shut down."
Restaurant closings were not the only signs of trouble to experienced employees.
"They got rid of 11 of our 20 beer taps about a week and a half ago," said Leah Hollowell, a Bennigan's employee since January and class of 2010 nutrition major. "We are kind of known for beer, so them taking away that much beer… [The closing] wasn't that big of a surprise."
Brody Earles, a sophomore general studies major and seasonal bennigans employee, said he planned to return to his job when school began in the fall. Earles said he talked to Boyle and they were surprised that the restaurant had not declared chapter 11 bankruptcy.
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