Put Down the Fork and Get Out!



(Orange County, California) Here's a report of one restaurant chain, among many, being squeezed by a lousy economy.

The parent company of Marie Callender’s, whose pie-making business has spanned more than 60 years in Orange County, abruptly closed 58 restaurants amid a bankruptcy filing blamed on a brutal economy.

Memphis-based Perkins & Marie Callender’s Inc. said Monday that the company, which owns the Perkins and Marie Callender’s chains, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The restructuring prompted both chains to close restaurants Sunday afternoon — including 31 Marie Callender’s in various states.

The closures were so sudden, some diners were forced to leave while they were still eating.

Heh.