Free Republic

There comes a time in just about everyone’s life when they feel the urge to eat some red meat. Sure, a supermarket steak cooked in a frying pan might suffice, but there’s nothing quite like the experience of going to one of those big chain steakhouses. We’ve come to depend on these places for a good steak and a cold beer, enjoyed in a comfortable and just-boisterous-enough atmosphere, with an overall experience that leaves you full and content. From sea to shining sea, it’s our right to have unrestricted access to chain steakhouses, darn it, and for that reason we...

Irvine-based Claim Jumper is the latest restaurant company forced to file for bankruptcy protection amid a brutal economy that has hit the casual dining sector the hardest. Claim Jumper, which operates 45 restaurants in eight states, said it filed for Chapter 11 protection Friday, and will be sold to Los Angeles-based private equity firm Private Capital Partners, an affiliate of Canyon Capital Advisors. The company did not disclose the sale price. No restaurant closures are planned at this time, company officials said. “Claim Jumper was hit hard by the soft California economy but so were other casual dining chains on...