Is This “Boston” Fast Food Franchise On It’s Last Leg?
Is Boston Market going, going gone? And why?
Remember it was called Boston Chicken back when it was founded in 1985. It was very different from any other food chain. It didn’t offer hamburgers or pizza or subs or fried chicken. They served rotisserie chicken, sandwiches and a Thanksgiving style assortment of sides. So, is this “Boston” fast food franchise on it’s last leg?
I remember going to Boston Market too many times back in the day and deciding whether it was going to be a quarter chicken or go for the half-chicken.
Then of course you had so many sides to choose from. For me it was always going to be creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. My wife always had to have the macaroni and cheese and baked apples, but we also loved the delicious cornbread too.
Fast growing chicken
By the late 90’s Boston Market had grown to over 1000 stores in North America, but perhaps they grew too fast because before long the company had filed for bankruptcy in 2000 and was bought by the McDonalds. It was soon after sold to other big restaurant chain owners that didn’t serve the company well and closed over 40% of the stores by 2010. In fact, there wasn’t a new Boston Market opened until 2013 (almost 8 years).
Current ownership
Boston Market has gone through multiple owners since the early 2000’s but none of them has had a winning strategy to bring the sizzle back. In fact, recently the state of New Jersey closed 27 stores due to non payment to employees. Some employees had gone more than a month without a paycheck. The current owner is billionaire Jay Pandya who many say doesn’t seem very concerned about the demise of this once dynamic company.
Lawsuits a-plently
There have been are currently numerous lawsuits against the company for host of reasons such as non-payment to various creditors and of course back pay owed to many current and former employees
Locally Boston Market has been closing stores over the past month and the future is not bright for the fast food chain in the long run. Which is sad for a number of reasons, first you feel bad for the franchisees who opened stores with the thought of years of success and of course the hundreds of dedicated employees who will be out of work. We can only hope that the current management team has a better plan to survive. It would be a shame to lose this once great “Boston” food franchise.