A Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchisee with 130 locations in Georgia and Florida has filed for bankruptcy.
Sailormen, Inc. operates more than 130 restaurants and is trying to resolve nearly $130 million in debt to lenders so it can revitalize, Fox Business reported Monday.
The move came after the company said factors such as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, consumer choice, inflation, and competition from better-paying jobs are some of the reasons it needs to file for the protection.
The Fox article continued:
This comes amid a string of eateries that have filed for bankruptcy in recent years. In fact, bankruptcy attorney Daniel Gielchinsky projected last year that a growing number of major restaurant chains will likely continue to file for bankruptcy protection over the coming years as the industry struggles to manage the heavy debt it accumulated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Restaurants that exist today may not exist in five years. They’ll be off the map,” Gielchinsky told FOX Business in February 2025. Additionally, consumers will “see a lot of restaurants with a decreased footprint,” he added.