The operator of the Village Inn and Bakers Square restaurant chains has filed for bankruptcy after years of losses as it faces ongoing pressure from new casual dining brands and larger competitors, the Wall Street Journal reported. Restaurant operator American Blue Ribbon Holdings LLC filed for chapter 11 protection yesterday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Del. The bankruptcy filing comes after Blue Ribbon said that it closed 33 underperforming restaurant locations and laid off about 1,100 employees. The Nashville, Tenn.-based company’s chapter 11 filing follows the bankruptcies of several family-friendly and casual-dining chains over the last several months including Marie Callender’s and Houlihan’s Restaurant + Bar. Blue Ribbon said that it still runs 97 restaurants in 13 states and franchises another 84 Village Inn outlets. At the time of the chapter 11 filing, Blue Ribbon said it employed about 1,500 full-time workers and more than 3,000 part-time workers.
