Cooker Restaurants Close, 1,500 Lose Jobs

AP ^ | April 29, 2004

[nuconvert]

Cooker Restaurants Close, 1,500 Lose Jobs

The Associated Press

Published: Apr 29, 2004

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Cooker restaurant chain shut down Thursday after the struggling organization ran out of money. About 1,500 employees in three states lost their jobs. A letter posted on the privately held company's Web site by president and chief operating officer Dan Clay said that "after a history of unprofitable operating results, the Cooker has been unable to secure any additional funds."

The decision closes 20 restaurants in Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.

The Nashville-based company had struggled since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May 2001.

[nuconvert]

Never heard of 'em.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Probably just a laundry for mafia money.

[VisualizeSmallerGovernment]

"after a history of unprofitable operating results, the Cooker has been unable to secure any additional funds."

I didn't even know Air America ran any restaurants.

[NoControllingLegalAuthority]

They had a couple of restaurants here in Nashville. They had good food. "The Cooker" on West End Ave. was pretty popular as it was right beside Vanderbilt University. I don't know the particulars of their financial problems.

[nuconvert]

LOL. Where'd that come from?

[GreenHornet]

I am not familiar with Cooker restaurants, but I'm sorry to see those people lose their jobs.

Several weeks ago, the Ground Round restaurant chain held a conference call with all of its sites, and announced they were going out of business IMMEDIATELY - customers who were in the restaurants at the time were kicked out even before they finished their meal!

[SamAdams76]

People have to eat food. So the customers will always be there. It is necessary to buy food in bulk, trying to obtain best price from supplier. Then labor must be at hand to prepare food for consumption and to deliver it to the customer (either at table or through takeout window). Prices charged for this food must cover all of these expenses while leaving a profit for the operator of the restaurant.

[socal_parrot]

Darn smoking ban!

[SamAdams76]

I never liked the "Ground Round" restaurants. When my kids were little, we went there because it was the kind of place where you don't feel embarrassed if your kids make a little noise. But the food was awful. Very heavy with grease and whatnot. The floors were kind of sticky and the tables were never really that clean. At least twice, I had to ask for additional silverware because the silverware we had was dirty. Kids loved it because they got those balloons on the way out and had crayons at the table. As soon as they got older, I was glad to never go back.

Same goes for Chuck E Cheese. If I never see the inside of a Chuck E Cheese again, I will be eternally grateful.

[nuconvert]

Really?
I've heard of them.
Were the customers allowed to swallow what was in their mouths? Sheeesh

[FreedomPoster]

>>They had good food.

Concur. I'd say they suffered from uninspired marketing. That's based on my personal impression, combined with several comments here already.

[Common Tator]

Fast food is way up.. McDonalds profits up 56 percent.

Sit down restaurant business is down. People are leading faster and quite busy lives. They don't go low end sit down restaurants nearly as much as they used to.

Fast food and quality "atmosphere" restuarants are doing fine. The low end sit down restuarants are going broke.

[gov_bean_ counter]

Many years ago in Pensacola, Florida there was a restaurant that served great food at incredibly low prices. One day, just out of nowhere they shut down. A few years later I learned from a Pensacola financial planner that the restaurant was owned by one of the Pensacola "families". Speculation in the area was they were using it to launder dirty money to "family" contacts.

[Miami_U_Redskin]

Nothing lasts forever. I once knew a guy that lived for this place. I wonder what he's gonna do now.

[nuconvert]

AHhh.......

[SamAdams76]

Here in Massachusetts (near the NH border), you can't find a table anywhere on a Friday or Saturday night without at least a 45 minute wait. So it amazes me that restaurant chains are going out of business. But I suppose that if you have to wait that long, you don't want to be waiting at a "low-end" restaurant. I'd wait 45 minutes for a table at a decent steakhouse or Mexican place but I'll be damned if I'm going to wait more than 5 minutes to sit at some chain restaurant.

[GreenHornet]

Were the customers allowed to swallow what was in their mouths? Sheeesh

I know, I know - very bizarre, isn't it?

[SamAdams76]

Here in Massachusetts (near the NH border), you can't find a table anywhere on a Friday or Saturday night without at least a 45 minute wait. So it amazes me that restaurant chains are going out of business. But I suppose that if you have to wait that long, you don't want to be waiting at a "low-end" restaurant. I'd wait 45 minutes for a table at a decent steakhouse or Mexican place but I'll be damned if I'm going to wait more than 5 minutes to sit at some chain restaurant.

[gswilder]

We had one in Lexington until about 1.5 years ago when it closed. It was pretty good.