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Bennigan's, Steak & Ale file for bankruptcy By Lisa Baertlein Tue Jul 29, 6:32 PM ET The company behind the Bennigan's and Steak & Ale chains filed for one of the largest restaurant bankruptcies ever on Tuesday, closing outlets and cutting jobs. S&A Restaurant Corp, and three dozen other entities including various Bennigan's and Steak & Ale affiliates, submitted Chapter 7 bankruptcy petitions in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Texas, seeking to sell assets. The company is a subsidiary of Metromedia Restaurant Group and operates and franchises Bennigan's and Steak & Ale restaurants. The companies fall...

I blame Bennigan's for my addiction to deep-fried mozzarella sticks. The craving still resurfaces regularly, 20 years after working in the restaurant and serving probably thousands of the little golden cheese sticks with a ramekin of marinara sauce. News reports indicate that Bennigan's may be closing its heavy dark-wood doors for good today (we're not sure yet, but many stores are closed), and it's causing an unexpected tinge of sadness. Working part-time at Bennigan's in Topeka, Kansas, for about four years in the '80s helped me pay my college bills, taught me about the service industry and introduced me to...

Driver given 30 years for waitress' slaying 07/22/2003By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News A Dallas County jury ignored Sarah Foust's plea for probation Monday, sentencing the 19-year-old single mother to 30 years in prison in the hit-and-run death of an Irving waitress who was trying to collect an unpaid restaurant bill. Ms. Foust trembled and sobbed as the parents of 20-year-old Jennifer Sanchez addressed her moments after the jury's sentence on the sixth day of her murder trial. The victim's mother, Brenda Sanchez, supported the jury's punishment but told Ms. Foust that her murder conviction amounts to a...

Foust guilty of murder in death of Irving waitress07/18/2003From Staff Reports Dallas County jurors convicted 19-year-old Sarah Foust of murder in the hit-and-run death of an Irving waitress. Ms. Foust faces five to 99 years in prison. Testimony in the punishment phase of the trial will begin Monday. Ms. Foust testified Thursday that she didn't realize that waitress Jennifer Sanchez, 20, was on top of the Chevrolet Nova as she sped out of a Bennigan's parking lot in Irving early in the morning of Jan. 3. Ms. Sanchez had been trying to get the car's license plate number when...

Murder case in hit-run death of waitress goes to juryDriver: 'I never meant to hurt her'07/18/2003By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News Through sobs, Sarah Foust described on Thursday a drunken plan to skip out on a restaurant tab but denied that she intended to harm a waitress who died trying to stop her and her friends as they drove away. Ms. Foust was the only witness presented by the defense in her murder trial. Jurors deliberated more than three hours before they were sent home with orders to reconvene Friday morning. Ms. Foust faces five to 99...

Jury hears taped conversation during hit-and-run murder trial07/16/2003By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News Moments after police apprehended her, Sarah Foust repeatedly used expletives to refer to a hit-and-run victim and said the young woman was at fault for being on top of Ms. Foust’s car as she drove away. “If that [expletive] is stupid enough to climb up on that [expletive] roof, then I’m sorry about her luck,” Ms. Foust said as she sat handcuffed with her friend, Kortnie Henson, in the back of an Irving police patrol cruiser early on the morning of Jan. 3. The...

Accused teen seeks plea bargainProsecutors decline; trial to proceed in death of Irving waitress07/15/2003By ROBERT THARP / The Dallas Morning News Attorneys for the 19-year-old woman accused of killing an Irving waitress offered Monday to have her plead guilty to lesser charges of manslaughter or intoxication manslaughter, but prosecutors said they planned to proceed with the murder trial, which is to continue Tuesday morning. Dozens of the nearly 100 Dallas County residents called for jury selection in the murder trial of Sarah Foust told District Judge Janice Warder that they knew at least some of the details surrounding the...

Parents of slain waitress file suit Restaurant denies that it urged pursuit of nonpaying customers04/09/2003 By HOLLY BECKA and STEVE McGONIGLE / The Dallas Morning News The parents of a young Bennigan's waitress killed in January after a dine-and-ditch scam have filed a lawsuit alleging that the restaurant encouraged employees to "pursue and confront" diners who skip out on tabs. The lawsuit accuses Bennigan's and its parent company, Steak and Ale of Texas Inc., of negligence in 20-year-old Jennifer Sanchez's death, saying the restaurant endangered employees by "penalizing employees who failed to pursue and confront nonpaying customers." The suit seeks...

Woman indicted in waitress's death 02/13/2003 From Staff Reports A 19-year-old woman was indicted Thursday on a charge of murder in the death of an Irving waitress. Sarah Foust told police she was driving the car on Jan. 3 when it struck Jennifer Sanchez, a 20-year-old college student. Ms. Sanchez was trying to get the license plate number from the car carrying a group of diners who had skipped out on a $131 tab at a Bennigan's restaurant. Ms. Sanchez was thrown from the car roof after being struck, and she died of head injuries. JUAN GARCIA / DMN...

Judge sets curfew for suspect in waitress killing 01/21/2003 By HOLLY BECKA / The Dallas Morning News A judge on Tuesday imposed a 5 p.m. daily curfew for a 19-year-old murder suspect who was able to post a bail bond this weekend in the death of an Irving waitress. Sarah Foust must remain at her mother's Grand Prairie home from 5 p.m. until 6 a.m., state District Judge Janice Warder ruled. Ms. Foust also is not allowed to drive or drink alcohol, and she must show up at every court setting. "They're reasonable conditions, and she will abide by...

Detective: Driver cursed at waitress Murder suspect heard laughing before arrest; bail reduction denied 01/17/2003 By TIM WYATT / The Dallas Morning News The 19-year-old driver charged in the death of an Irving waitress cursed the injured woman for hanging onto the trunk of the getaway car as it sped out of a restaurant parking lot, a detective testified Thursday. Minutes later, officers overheard the driver laugh and talk with her friends in the car before their arrest. The testimony was in contrast to defense attorneys' portrayal of Sarah Foust as distraught and remorseful over the death of Jennifer...

Bennigan's may face sanctions over service Restaurant gave alcohol to 3 teens before death of waitress, state says 01/16/2003 By STEVE McGONIGLE / The Dallas Morning News A Bennigan's restaurant in Irving where a waitress was killed Jan. 3 might face administrative sanctions for serving alcohol to three underage patrons whom the waitress was chasing for not paying their bill, the state's liquor control agency said Wednesday. If the restaurant is found to have violated state law, it could face suspension or cancellation of its liquor license, or a fine of up to $25,000 per day, said Sgt. John...

Posted on Fri, Jan. 10, 2003 Driver seeks to talk with victim's kin By Ben TinsleyStar-Telegram Staff Writer The driver of the car that struck and killed a Bennigan's waitress last week in Irving is offering to meet with the victim's family to acknowledge her "responsibility and obligation" to them, her attorney said Thursday.Sarah Haven Foust, 18, of Irving is also seeking to have her $100,000 bail reduced to $25,000, said her attorney, David Scoggins of Mesquite. A bail-reduction hearing is scheduled for Thursday in Dallas County criminal district court.Foust is accused of driving the 1978 Chevrolet Nova that...

Charges reduced in waitress death Police say patrons accused in hit-run had drinks on tab 01/07/2003 By KIMBERLY DURNAN / Dallas Web Staff Criminal charges against two teenagers who were in the car that struck and killed an Irving Bennigan’s waitress have been changed from aggravated assault to theft of services, Irving police said. The bond was lowered to $500 for David Thornton, 19, of Duncanville and Kortnie Henson, 19, of Midlothian who were charged with the Class B misdemeanor Tuesday. Mr. Thornton has paid the bond and been released, police said. Ms. Henson remained in jail Tuesday morning....

Irving police seek 4th in death of waitress 01/06/2003 From Staff Reports Irving police are looking for a fourth person wanted in the death of a waitress at an Irving Bennigan's. Jennifer Michelle Sanchez, 22, was trying to write down the license-plate number of the car after its four occupants ran out on a $100 restaurant tab early Friday. She died later that day at Parkland Memorial Hospital from head injuries. Jennifer Michelle Sanchez The driver, 18-year-old Sarah Foust of Irving, is charged Saturday on suspicion of murder and driving under the influence, Irving police said. She's in jail...

Driver, 18, charged with murder 01/05/2003 By TIARA M. ELLIS / The Dallas Morning News The 18-year-old driver of the car that struck and killed a Bennigan's waitress was charged Saturday on suspicion of murder and driving under the influence, Irving police said. The waitress, Jennifer Michelle Sanchez, was trying to write down the license-plate number of the car after its four occupants ran out on a $100 restaurant tab early Friday. She died later that day at Parkland Memorial Hospital from head injuries. The driver, Sarah Foust of Irving, remained in custody Saturday at the Irving jail with...

Waitress hit by car dies 01/03/2003 By KIMBERLY DURNAN / Dallas Web Staff A 22-year-old waitress died from severe head injuries after she was struck early Friday by a car occupied with four people who had walked out on their restaurant bill at an Irving Bennigan's, police said. Jennifer Sanchez, of Grand Prairie, was taken to Parkland Hospital where she underwent surgery for her injuries. Ms. Sanchez had gone into the restaurant parking lot just after 1 a.m. to get the license plate number of four patrons who had just walked out on their $100 restaurant tab, Irving police...