A popular Italian restaurant chain with nearly 60 restaurants across the U.S. has filed for bankruptcy, according to court documents.
Bravo Brio Restaurants LLC, which operates Brio Italian Grille and Bravo! Italian Kitchen, filed for Chapter 11 Monday. According to the filing, the Orlando-based company has between $50 million and $100 million in estimated liabilities and assets, with between 200 and 999 creditors.
The documents show the group owed hundreds of thousands of dollars to multiple landlords and property managers in different states, including $335,000 owed to a restaurant supplier in Illinois. It also owed $19 million to restaurant food distributor Sysco, the filing showed.
Brio Italian Grille, described as a “elegant restaurant” currently operates 25 restaurants in the U.S., according to its website. A Brio Tuscan Grille location was previously open in Lombard at Yorktown Center but has since closed, according to reports.
Upscale restaurant Bravo! Italian Kitchen has 23 locations across the country, including one near Milwaukee in Brookfield. A previous Bravo! Cucina Italian Kitchen had been located in The Glen in suburban Glenview.
A report from the trade outlet Restaurant Dive said the company cited declining consumer demand, increased competition and inflation contributed to the decision to file. The company had previously filed for bankruptcy in 2020, leading to a deal with Earl Enterprises to purchase some of the remaining restaurants.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Earl Enterprises, which also owns Planet Hollywood, was still connected to the restaurants. Emails sent to Bravo Brio Restaurants were returned as undeliverable.
According to the report, the bankruptcy will allow the chains to close underperforming locations.
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