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The parent company of the BurgerFi and Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings chains assures its 144 combined locations “will continue normal, uninterrupted operations,” amid Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, according to a press announcement issued last week.
That includes all franchise and corporately owned locations.
Corporate leaders blamed a “drastic” decline in post-pandemic spending tied to “sustained inflation, and increasing food and labor costs.”
“We need to stabilize the business in a structured process,” said Jeremy Rosenthal, of BurgerFi International.
Locally, there’s a BurgerFI in Commack and five Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza locations in Nassau and Suffolk counties, with one also in Commack in a former Starbucks location in Peppertree Commons.
According to the announcement, parent company BurgerFi International, Inc., filed voluntary petitions for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code “in order to preserve the value of its brands for all stakeholders.”
“We are confident that this process will allow us to protect and grow our brands and to continue the operational turnaround started less than 12 months ago and secure additional capital,” said Rosenthal, the company’s chief restructuring officer.
Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza was founded by a Long Island native, Anthony Bruno of Franklin Square, after he moved to Florida at 18 years old and found himself dissatisfied with its pizza options.
He opened his first spot in Fort Lauderdale, Fla, in 2002.
The chain grew from there. Click here to read more about Bruno from The New York Times.
Initial motions, subject to court approval, “will enable the timely payment of employee wages and benefits, the continuation of customer programs and other relief,” officials said.
Click here for the full release, including links to the court filings.
— Anthony’s Coal Fired Pizza & Wings on Facebook
