Bennigan's Files Bankruptcy, Future of Charleston Location Unknown
Bennigan's Files Bankruptcy, Future of Charleston Location Unknown Save Email Print
Posted: 12:53 PM Jul 29, 2008
Last Updated: 11:31 PM Jul 30, 2008
Reporter: Courtney Sisk
Email Address: courtney.sisk@wsaz.com

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UPDATE @ 2:11pm
Mike Hughes, the Area Director for the Bennigan's operating in Point Pleasant and Athens, says the two locations that he represents will not be closed due to the fact that those are franchise operations.

Hughes says the chapter 7 bankruptcy that Bennigan's corporate filed does not affect either location and both will continue to be open for business.



ORIGINAL STORY @ 12:53am
CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A restaurant at the Charleston Town Center is closed this week -- and possibly longer.

The company that owns Bennigan's just filed for bankruptcy. Town Center spokeswoman Lisa McCracken says she was not aware of a possible closing. The restaurant was open for business Monday.

McCracken has called the local manager, as well as the corporate office, and is waiting to hear back from them.

No word yet about the restaurant located in Point Pleasant.

Keep clicking on WSAZ.com for more information.

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Posted by: Anonymous on Aug 8, 2008 at 01:31 AM
People are idiots. Not all kids are "sqaulling children." If you don't like kids, don't go to family resturants.

Posted by: Anonymous on Aug 1, 2008 at 10:09 AM
Metromedia Restaurant Group (owns S&A Restaurant Corp. and is a part of billionaire John Kluge's empire.)and it's sister companies S&A Restaurant Corp.(Steak & Ale)(Parent Company to Bennigan's and Steak & Ale) and Metromedia Steakhouses Company LP ( Bennigan's) has up to 49 creditors and owes less the $50,000. Metromedia Restaurant Group claims it will have no funds left after administrative expenses are paid to repay its creditors. This statement does not include any of the former employees from more than 300 outlets of Bennigan's and Steak & Ale. It is unknown if and when any of the restaurant employees will receive their pay checks.

Posted by: Les on Jul 31, 2008 at 09:56 AM
Hopefully Chili's will be next. They have been going downhill for a long time.

Posted by: Moose on Jul 30, 2008 at 09:30 PM
Yay, I didn't say it would solve every problem. Idiot.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 30, 2008 at 07:49 PM
I don't see what any of this has to do with the parent company filing bankruptcy. The service at a specific location was not the reason for this, but finances were.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 30, 2008 at 07:09 PM
You shoudnt consider yourself the center of the Universe. Yet I also think you should not bring a nine month old into a restaurant, I dont want to hear sqaulling children.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 30, 2008 at 06:07 PM
I always got the best service and GREAT food here and hate to see this happen. And I hope all that has lost their jobs can SOON find another one. And to those of you that SAY you got bad service ever think it may not have been your server instead YOU, These people work VERY hard and get treated REALLY bad by people like YOU that think your the only person in the restaurant. One server 20-30 people being served go figure!

Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 30, 2008 at 05:27 PM
I've been there only 3 times, because of the crappy service. And no, I don't expect to be the center of the world, but I do expect someone to take my order within 30 minutes of being there or someone to not complain when I ask for a high chair for my son & not question why I can't just "make" my 9 month old sit in a chair at the table. And I do expect the right food...once, they put in the totally wrong item & asked if I could just eat it anyway. Of course my parents have the best story. They went once. My mom ordered a sandwich of some sort, & half way through when she bit into it & went to sit it back down, she found a curly brown hair in with the lettuce & such. She complained, of course, who wants to eat food with hair in it? They decided to fix it by not wanting to make anything else for her & then annoucned that since she ate half the sandwich, they'd just charge her 1/2 the price. Yes, that's great resturant service!

Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 30, 2008 at 12:49 PM
People, if you felt like the service was so bad why did you even go back!? The employees were treated horrible, especially the cooks. They never got any breaks, over worked then got their hours cut. Yes I have a family member that worked there, and he is a great cook. Guess what people all the employees will be drawing unemployment now... do you want to complain/comment about that? So you had a bad experience, that doesn't mean that every person was /is rude. All I have to say is get off your high horses and hope these people get their lasts checks and find another job.

Posted by: YAY on Jul 30, 2008 at 12:38 PM
Wow, Moose. What stellar advice! It's fail-proof, isn't it? You'll never encounter poor service if you act you are not the center of the universe. That will fix everything. The waitress on her cell phone outside will realize you are a special person for not thinking you're special! I will remember this token of wisdom.

Posted by: Moose on Jul 30, 2008 at 12:08 PM
I can't really say I've ever been treated rudely by the wait staff at any restaurant. The reason: I don't act like I'm the center of the universe when I go out. I treat them nicely and they normally return the favor.

Posted by: Good Riddance on Jul 30, 2008 at 09:16 AM
crappy service, rude staff, and exrtremely poor management......the staff apparently lost site of the fact that it is the customer that makes their paychecks possible. can we all say, "Wake Up Call"

Posted by: Scott on Jul 30, 2008 at 08:24 AM
I too loved Bennigan's, but the last time I went there it was going downhill. The salmon I ordered was RAW in the middle. Eww. They did comp the meal, though. Oh, one more thing: "...the two locations that he represents will not be closed do to the fact that those are franchise operation." Um, it's DUE, not DO - here we go again with the deplorable grammar here at WSAZ.com. Who are you guys hiring? It's clearly not folks with degrees in stuff like, oh, English or Journalism. Sheesh.

Posted by: bob on Jul 30, 2008 at 01:00 AM
last time i ate at the one in charleston a huge rat was running around in the floor looking for food so that kinda ended my visits. sure that didnt cause the bankrupcy but OMg!!!

Posted by: Gregory on Jul 29, 2008 at 08:49 PM
I am one of the "rude staff" members of Bennigans, a father of two who loves meeting people and taking care of them. I worked my way through college waiting tables at Bennigan's and it was one of the best jobs with some of the coolest and most capable people I have ever met. It's been my experience that most ppl who claim they've had "crappy" service were in fact "crappy" guests to begin with. The same type of people who can't read a menu for themselves, send their server back 10 times for extra dressing, and interrupt their server while they're trying to take an order at one of their other 6 tables during the dinner rush. Put it this way...what's the difference between your table and the table right after you that has a good time and tips $10 on a $30 check? It's probably you. I'm not saying there are no bad servers, I'm just saying that if we were ALL bad servers, we wouldn't have kept the place open and hopping for 20 years.

Posted by: annoymous on Jul 29, 2008 at 07:34 PM
I agree. Terrible food I can take. I just don't eat it. Someone with a bad attitude serving it makes it a hundred times worse. I realize that servers don't prepare the food so I don't blame them when it's bad. This place has been going downhill for some time now. The last time I dined there was in March. The food was horrible and my server was out in the concourse on her cell phone most of the time instead of taking care of her section. I never went back.

Posted by: Darn! on Jul 29, 2008 at 07:14 PM
I'm not sure what bad service you all recieved, but I have always received good service and I don't know anyone that works there.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 29, 2008 at 05:42 PM
The employees are nice to you cla because your brother worked there. I always have gotten crappy service, bad food, & rude employees. Maybe it will leave & something worth paying for will go in it's place.

Posted by: Anonymous on Jul 29, 2008 at 05:03 PM
Completely agree with rude staff comment. We were treated like dirt by the wait staff one night. I'm not sad to see them leave either.

Posted by: cla on Jul 29, 2008 at 04:31 PM
Don't agree with the rude staff comment. My brother has worked there for over ten yrs. and Bennigans employees have always been good to us. Sorry to see you go.

Posted by: gene on Jul 29, 2008 at 04:24 PM
just give them another tax break on the back on the taxpayers.

Posted by: YAY on Jul 29, 2008 at 01:45 PM
Goodbye, rude staff!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: DD on Jul 29, 2008 at 01:24 PM
Oh, no!! Tell me it ain't so!!!! I love Benningan's.

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