The parent of the Friendly’s restaurant chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday and said that it has already closed 63 of its stores, including seven in Connecticut, The Associated Press reports.
Each store employed about 20 people, so about 1,260 jobs were lost nationwide. Connecticut lost about 140 jobs.
The locations closed in Connecticut were on South Main Street in West Hartford, in the Shoppes at Buckland Hills in Manchester, in the Waterbury Shopping Plaza, on Main Street in Meriden, at University Plaza in Storrs, on East Main Street in Torrington and on Boston Post Road in Guilford.
Hartford-based FM Facility Maintenance is one of the larger creditors owed money by Friendly’s, roughly $3.5 million, according to the Springfield Republican. FM provides outsourced facility maintanence work for its clients.
The 76-year-old company based in Wilbraham, Mass. known for its ice cream and hamburgers is the latest restaurant chain to file for bankruptcy, as consumers continue to eat out less, a habit they picked up during the recession, and food costs remain high.
