Posted on 01/23/2020 12:11:07 PM PST by Red Badger
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Krystal Co., the Georgia-based restaurant chain known for tiny hamburgers and late-night service across the Southeast, has filed for bankruptcy, but said Tuesday that all of its locations would remain open.
Federal court documents showed Krystal sought Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Atlanta on Sunday. The company said it owed between $50 million and $100 million to food suppliers, equipment companies and others.
Krystal has about 300 restaurants in 10 states, 182 of which employ 4,890 people and are operated by the company, restructuring officer Jonathan M. Tibus said in a court filing. Another 116 are run by franchisees, he said.
The company previously closed more than 40 restaurants, including 13 that shut down in December, over the past year, according to court documents. Shifting consumer tastes, growing costs, tight labor markets and the growth of online food ordering all contributed to the companys financial problems, Tibus said.
The actions we are taking are intended to enable Krystal to establish a stronger business for the future and to achieve a restructuring in a fast and efficient manner, the company said in a statement Tuesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
“Oh, the pain... the pain...” — Zachary Smith
Can’t say I’m surprised. Service at almost any of them sucks. They are always short handed and that means they are always slow.
Singer Crystal Gayle was named after them. She is the sister of Loretta Lynn.
The KFC:
And who remembers this?
Burger Chef and Jeff, oh yeah!
White Castle were 12 cents when I was growing up, Or 10 for $1.
“Just curious, but has the management or corporate ownership changed in the past few years? Often, a venture capitalist type takeover (and corporate raiding) precede the demise of an old established company like Kyrstal.”
Yes. Looks that way. References from the Wikipedia entry linked earlier.
References[edit]
^ Krystal hamburger chain sold to private investment firm
^ “Corporate Info”. Retrieved August 19, 2010.
^ “THE KRYSTAL COMPANY WELCOMES NAMES PAUL MACALUSO AS NEW CEO”. PR NEWSWIRE. Retrieved April 2, 2018.
^ “Krystal sold to Atlanta-based investors”. timesfreepress.com. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
The first one I remember going to was with my Grandmother in Birmingham, on 1st Avenue North I think, in the mid 1960s. I loved them. In my college years, they were my equivalent for today’s Ramen noodles.
I still love them, but am a heart patient and now avoid them. Broke down and ate some for lunch a couple of months back and they gave me a bad case of indigestion. Not much fat or grease in my diet anymore, so a big dose of that, as with 3 or 4 Krystals, is tough on my stomach.
I remember Krystals at 5 cents apiece!...................
Burger Chef! We had one of those!..................
...but am a heart patient and now avoid them
yeah, I resemble that remark
31
Yup. Been down here 13 years, ate there once. It’s ... small burgers on tiny buns. Wa - hoo.
More surprised they’ve lasted this long.
“Burger Chef! We had one of those!..................”
In elementary school, we would say we were going home for lunch and go to the Burger Chef around the corner! I still remember the stupid jingle: “Where for a nickel and a dime you get...”
Went to the Krystal off Atlantic Hwy in Jacksonville when I was stationed at Mayport. Nice cheap way to fill your belly, and as an enlisted, cheap mattered.
Looks like a copy of White Castle...
Also looks like a terrible meat-to-bread ratio.
Same reason I never order sliders.
I have never done the math but the cost per calorie seemed high and disproportionately bread.
“Krystal was founded in 1932 and is the second-oldest burger chain in the United States. The first Krystal was opened in Chattanooga, Tenn., and is widespread in the Southeast. White Castle is a Northern chain, based in Columbus, Ohio, and proclaims itself the first fast-food hamburger chain in America, founded in 1921.”
Aldi sells frozen White Castle cheeseburgers. Grew up 90 miles outside of Chicago. Never had a White Castle. Never had Krystals, either. Oklahoma hasn’t any.
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