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Steak & Ale and Bennigan’s Closing Nationwide

From the KXAN News Tweeter feed, I just learned that Steak & Ale and Bennigan’s restaurants are closing nationwide.

National restaurant chains Bennigan’s and Steak & Ale have closed their doors and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection, shuttering more than 300 locations and letting go of thousands of employees.

It is one of the country’s largest restaurant bankruptcies and eliminates two sit-down chains that have been part of the casual-dining landscape for decades. The chains will liquidate and aren’t likely to re-open.

Late Monday, managers at Bennigan’s and Steak & Ale were told not to open restaurants the next day, according to two people familiar with the matter. Employees were told there wouldn’t be enough money to pay them for the rest of the week, these people said.

This is actually somewhat sad news for me.

My sophomore year in HS, I started working at Steak & Ale in Conroe, TX. I worked there for three years in HS, saving money for college.

When I went off to Baylor University, I worked at the Steak & Ale in Waco for two more years.

I worked one more year back at the S&A in Conroe before joining the Army. In fact, I pulled a Friday and Saturday shift, and then shipped out for Basic Training the following Monday.

So, all told, I spent 6 years bussing tables, working the salad bar, hosting, waiting tables, and bartending at S&A.

When I went back to college after I got out of the Army, I got a job bartending at the Bennigan’s on the corner of HWY 59 and Kirby in Houston (near the Compaq Center). I bartended there for 3 years — three very fun years.

9 total years of my early life spent working at one of these two restaurants.

Bennigan’s and S&A helped pay a lot of bills and helped me get through college (especially via the Employee Food Program — I ate 55% of my meals at those restaurants while I was in college).

Posted by Robbie Cooper on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 | Trackback |

8 Responses to “Steak & Ale and Bennigan’s Closing Nationwide”

[...] Urbangrounds has also posted about this.  He actually worked for them.  I have a couple buddies that have worked for Bennigans/S&A as well. [...]

Left by Bennigans shutting down Chapter 7, Austin Locations Unknown | Wetwired an Austin Texas Blog on July 29th, 2008 at 3:37 pm

Dallas Morning News published a more informative article on this event:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/073008dnmetbennigans.140b9e44.html

I remember the Bennigans at Riverside @ Barton Springs. Parking was kind of a pain but the food was good. It was a good restaurant and I patronized them often.

Left by Scott on July 29th, 2008 at 4:49 pm

I work for a company that manages and tracks gift cards, and I’ve been following retailers filing for bankruptcy on savvywallet.com. Ponderosa and Bonanza are still accepting Metromedia gift cards. I’m not sure about franchise owned Bennigans’s. My advice? Go spend your gift cards, we simply do not know how long they will be accepting them. Don’t forget The Sharper Image incident: $25m in unused gift cards.

Left by Austin Chu on July 29th, 2008 at 4:58 pm

I can only address what is going on in my city, but it seems every night, the restaurants and bars are packed. I didn’t know the same company owned both chains, but I thought S&A had been in trouble years ago, but some how kept going.
When I was 18-19, we used to go the S&A in Shreveport, as you could drink in La. at 18, and we would play football. We would start on each other’s three yard line, and the first to drink three yards of ale scored and won. How we all got home safely is still a mystery.

Left by no2liberals on July 30th, 2008 at 4:51 am

Robbie

Looks like your old stomping ground did in fact close.

The family and I never went to the Steak and Ale in Conroe, but the Bennigans on Davis was one of our favorite places.

Left by BBB on July 30th, 2008 at 8:36 am

I worked for Orville Beans Flying Machine and Fix-It Shop Restaurant in St. Louis, Mo in 1978. It was owned by Steak & Ale and it was a new concept for them. It was a great place to work with lots of young enthusiastic people. ( Hi Smitty, Paul Schroeder, Rick Federico, Terri Manion!) assistant Manager then… Rick Feredrico is now Chairman and CEO of PF Changs restaurants I hear. I waited on Tim Matheson , Susan Blakely and Chris Schenkel ( sportscaster) when they were filming a movie in 1978/79. Don’t remember the name but it had to do with bowling.My husband was transferred to Southfield, MI where I was lucky enought to be transferred to the Steak & Ale in Southfield, MI just a few miles from my home. I worked with them thru a fire that destroyed their building and they rebuilt. I helped. I worked there for over 5 years under and with some really wonderful people. ( Yeah! Tom Booth and Lin Burns! Hey Wendy Carlu Forester Leonard! Jacob Burney..who is now a defensive line coach for the Denver Broncos? ) I met my bestfriend Mo there and our friendship has been going on these 28 years or so. Many of the young managers I worked with went on to work in high positions in the restaurant world. It was a great working and learning experience and I still love the restaurant business because of the professionalism I experienced and the work ethic principles and policies I learned thru S& A management and programs.. While working @ S&A in Southfield I also had the opportunity to meet Leon Spinks ( Heavyweight champion of the World at the time), Pam Dawber ( her dad was a regular) Bob Seger thru CBS music’s James Farr , and other musicians he brought over when they came into town. I also helped open the Bennigan’s on Telegraph Road in Southfield, MI and worked there also until my husband was transferred in 1984 to Indiana. Anyhoo! I am sad to see them go under. I did realize they had been on the downward slide when I revisited the Southfield area a few years back and saw the Southfield S&A was being used as a Korean Cultural Center. Lots of GREAT memories of a special time in my life. Rest in Peace Steak & Ale. ..and hello to any of you who would remember me…….Cindi Juliano

Left by Cindi on July 30th, 2008 at 1:55 pm

When steak n ale closed in saint louis in the late eighties,Iwas quite upset. When I went to other cities I always looked for s.and a. I always thought the salad bar was the absolute best. First, many of the Houstons restaurant closed,now Steak NAle is gone.

Left by shelley carter on July 31st, 2008 at 10:44 am

Is the Austin TX franchise or corporate?

Left by SuzyQ on August 3rd, 2008 at 12:15 am

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