R.I.P.

Filed under: R.I.P.

It happened overnight and without warning!

Effective immediately all Bennigan's restaurants are closed for business.

The chain owns and operates around 800 Bennigan's across America.

Yet another major blow to the economy!

Posted: Jul 29, 2008 at 10:42 am / Email this »

See All 293 Comments

293 comments to “R.I.P.”

More comments: « 1 2 [3]

Britt says – reply to this

201

i'm out of a job.
Butte says – reply to this

202

Bennigans out of business??? NOOOO!!!
naty says – reply to this

203

Re: Britt – Britt which bennigans did you work in?
Alexa says – reply to this

204

Not all of them!! Just the ones that are corporately owned
Bas18 says – reply to this

205

Re: kelly – there are several reasons that people struggle. its not a matter of economy, its a matter of unintelligence. you absolutely should NOT start a family if you are not financially secure… and making a single or combined income of 35k a year is nowhere NEAR being financially stable. as far as family goes, i always say "don't have children unless you know for a fact that you can support them by yourself because you're never sure what could happen."
another fact is that people dont know how to use their heads. i certainly didn't enter teaching for the money (we all know teachers dont get paid great. however, i knew that well before going into the profession AND its more than enough for where i'm at in my life right now), but for the job stability and security - i'll ALWAYS have a job somewhere.
its all about making wise decisions.
help yourself out, dont wait for others to help you. dont give me shit about people struggling - i chose well for my future.. im doing well, i dont really feel like helping others out simply for the fact that they are lazy… and i do help those less fortunate - i give children a free education that a lot of them cant and dont get at home.
meg says – reply to this

206

Bennigans employees knew they were closing months ago… at least my local one did.
britt says – reply to this

207

Re: naty – i worked at the one by University of Central Florida in orlando. got told a water line broke and we were closed for the day. i don't know why they lied, they could have told the truth since everyone was going to find out anyway.
DPA says – reply to this

208

I tried to go to the one on DPA on LI a couple of weeks ago; I was craving Broccoli Bites and hadn't been there in years. It was open. We walked up to the hostess who wanted to show us the "New Menu" before we were sat. She handed us an 8.5 X 11 piece of paper with a few things and their prices. It was Shady…It looked like they were serving whatever was left in the kitchen. We started asking her questions, but she had no answer. RIP Broccoli Bites…
Chell says – reply to this

209

Butters will be so sad.
bman says – reply to this

210

I am a now former employee of this company, and I couldn't be happier that it closed down. The company had closed down 11 stores in 12 weeks prior to this leaving people unemployed with no warning. Miserable old gms were made vp's and directors with only kiss assing techniques. The food was great, the workers were tremendous, but the ones who had a hand to do anything about the company selfishly filled their pockets in a situation that has cost thousands their jobs, with NO WARNING. I had a fallback, but having been around the DFW area and worked at nearly every store, I know at least 100 people personally who have families and now do not have jobs.
DKR says – reply to this

211

your misinformed! We live in Florida and the Bennigans in our town was open today, as usual!
nikki says – reply to this

212

thank god i HATE bennigans the only good thing about them is the cheap dollar beer!
natas says – reply to this

213

that's old news all the ones over here by me in houston have been closed for almost a month now…
aicxr says – reply to this

214

Poor, poor Butters =(
meg says – reply to this

215

I do not believe for a second you teach , you're a bitter old republican troll trying to push a negative agenda .Saddest thing is you appear to be COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS to how much of a meme you sound like. America is being ruined by memes. Mememememememememememememem notmyproblemnotmyproblemnotmyproblem.. ugh just go away and get a clue.
Maril says – reply to this

216

Glad to hear it! Those effers around the block are racist mofos. Once I went in on a Sat. afternoon about 2 years ago. I went to the bathroom right when I got in, then took a seat at the bar to order lunch. I waited for 30min and no one would serve me. The place was empty!!! Except for the half dozen black waitstaff that cruised past my honky ass plus the bartender…there were only two patrons at the bar before me. Good riddance!
texas says – reply to this

217

OMG I LOVED BENN'S IT WAS MY FAVORITE HANG OUT WHEN I WAS BACK IN TX 3YRS AGO!!!!!! LETS HOPE CHILIS DOESNT FOLLOW!!!! THATS THE BEST RESTURAUNT OUT HERE IN FAIRBANKS, AK.!!!!!!
betse says – reply to this

218

there are four bennigan's restaurants in san antonio, tx…which have not been shut down.
amy says – reply to this

219

you guys that keep saying we're in a recession are retarded. the president can't claim that there is a recession unless there IS one. a recession is marked by two or more periods of economic decline, which has not fucking happened. sorry left wing fucking losers.
fancypink says – reply to this

220

Re: Valky – Shut the fuck up, you lazy ass. Immigrants are working the jobs you would never work.
fancypink says – reply to this

221

Re: Kate27 – Why do I have the sudden urge to punch you in the face you racist asshole?
Aetcheight says – reply to this

222

I actually just went to one about two hours ago in round rock tx off of i35. They said they didn't close cause theyre a franchis.

It was yummy.
Aetcheight says – reply to this

223

I actually just went to one about two hours ago in Round Rock TX off of I35. They said they didn't close cause theyre a franchise.

It was yummy.
aj says – reply to this

224

Re: Bas18 – FUCK YOU. My husband and I make $34,000 a year combined and we ARE financially stable. We are not in credit card debt, we owe nothing on our vehicles, both are less than 5 years old, and BOTH of our kids have new clothes to wear and were privately schooled until kindergarden. Again please go ahead and FUCK off. You can be perfectly and very happy on that amount of money. Obviously you have issues. Who are you to slam anyone? I'm glad you don't teach my kids!!
kimmee says – reply to this

225

it wasn't just bennigans that closed…Steak and Ales were owned by the same company. That's 1500 restaurants across the country & none of the employees knew until they got to work Tuesday morning. This economy sucks.
sue says – reply to this

226

I have worked at Bennigans for 8 years.My Bennigans has about 200 empolyees. We are all out of a job. Times that by the 800 Bennigan' s across America and you have 1,600 people out of a job. Not to mention all of the other company's that depend on our business ie food suppliers, carpet cleaners beer and liquer reps and advertisments. As a bartender I would make 400 dollars a night…I am devisated and will not be able to afford my morage. Yes, a major blow to the economy.
sad : says – reply to this

227

I moved and found a job a month before they closed, but I worked there on and off for four years. It was always there, familiar, whenever I was back in town. I had the best manager, and some of the best coworkers. Granted, I'm sure this isn't the way it was everywhere.

And while the managers will probably get severance pay, and the servers can probably talk their way into other jobs (granted, we do suffer - as a server, I made less than half of what I did last year)….many of the line cooks, bussers, and prep people have worked there for years and years. Some around fifteen years. And many don't speak English too well.
duke says – reply to this

228

Did you read the article? Only the corporate ones are definitely closing. Some of the franchised ones may remain open.
Troy says – reply to this

229

Oh Noooo!!! Now we might have to open our own freezers?!?
Teet says – reply to this

230

ITS NOT TRUE ITS NOT TRUE ITS NOT TRUE - I just got off the phone with my friend who is manager at our local Bennigan's. He doesnt know what's going on elsewhere but he hasnt heard a word about closures - ITS NOT TRUE ITS NOT TRUE ITS NOT TRUE - at least not ALL of them
savethemusic says – reply to this

231

america is screwed.
next thing you know, all the starbucks will close. they've already cut down more employees. where else is there to go?
Amber says – reply to this

232

What about the ones all over Korea?
Imano says – reply to this

233

first of all, not all the restaurants are closing, just the ones that are run by Bennigans. They are hundreds of privately owned Bennigans that are NOT closing. Come on ppl…get your facts www.msnbc.com
DANA says – reply to this

234

I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY CLOSED.
CHILI'S IS FAR WORSE THAN BENNIGAN'S BUT I GUESS THEY WILL CLOSE SOON TOO.
Miche says – reply to this

235

ACTUALLY, the franchised Bennigans, are NOT closing. Most of the ones in Michigan will still be open.
Jessi says – reply to this

236

Never been, but Butters of South Park loves it so it must be awesome.
Bas18 says – reply to this

237

Re: meg –
A - For the fourth time, yes I am a public school teacher.
B - I'm under 25.. that's young.. unless you're 13. and judging by your comment, that's probably very likely.
C - What is this negative agenda? why would i have political views that would screw me over financially? come on now, that just doesnt make any sense.
D - I know i'm a "mememe" person.. nobody claims me as a dependent and i dont claim any.. why should i worry about anyone else? its not my problem you didnt learn a trade so you could make more money.
E - its not the "mememe" attitude that ruins america - i take care of myself. its the "im too lazy to get/keep a job that pays decent so i'll just ask everyone around me for help" people. if you stopped putting yourself in a position where you need to depend on other people you wouldnt have these problemsssss.. jeeeeez.
BobZ says – reply to this

238

Re: mud –

Good riddance is right.

That place was nasty and the food was terrible.

I hate Bennigans.
Bas18 says – reply to this

239

Re: aj – did you miss my point? if you're so financially stable then there shouldn't be any reason to complain about the economy, right? you're proving my point rather than going against it. you're a working class family and by what you're saying things are going well for you. we are not in a recession. so calm yourself and spend your money.
God forbid anything should happen to you or your spouse, but if times get hard for whatever reason, and you AREN'T making enough to support your family, well that's usually when people (not necessarily you - I know nothing about your character) start making up reasons why its not their fault.
Memem says – reply to this

240

Bennigan's sucks anyways
kimme says – reply to this

241

I would love to set a few things straight….not everyone that works in a restaurant is an illegal immigrant. The immigrants that work in the industry have really hard jobs that I don't see a lot of white people lining up for. People lost their jobs, their livelihoods, show some sympathy. The economy does play a part in this, people are saving their money and not going out to eat as much. This is common sense, not being a "liberal fucktard." Business at a lot of restaurants has been declining for a few years and with no end to the issue in sight drastic measures must be taken. For all of you that think this is funny or deserved, imagine how you would feel if you went to your job one day and they said "sorry, we're closed." It doesn't feel good.
Bas18 says – reply to this

242

just throwin this out there - im really wondering about this:
could the reason a lot of people arent going out to eat or getting starbucks as much, be that people are finally starting to be a little more health conscious? sure there are healthier alternatives on menus, but i know if i see a good cheesesteak as a choice im definitely shootin for that one. plus, the salads arent really all that healthy with all the added junk on it (fries, fried chicken, etc.)
furthermore - i dont see anything healthy about starbucks (sugar, caffeine, etc.)
it is nice to think that though, right? i know i feel 110% more motivated to be healthy than what i used to 5 years ago. what, with all the fitness encouraging commercials and media publicity. i know i dont want to be a statistic anymore.
Sharo says – reply to this

243

WHO CARES
mag says – reply to this

244

Re: fuk-u – Well said!!!!
you a says – reply to this

245

Re: D – corrections my ass.
We have never seen trouble like this…people lossing jobs, homes, business.
Can you say …depression..
You must be some 20 something econ major…
Jackass
perez says – reply to this

246

NOOOOOOOOOO
what the fuck this was one of my favorite restaurants! |:
this sucks,
and i always wanted to get shitfaced there and now it'll never happen |:
The D says – reply to this

247

One of my best friends was laid off from here this morning and is totally out of work. This came completely without warning. That sucks…..buy local!! Go to locally owned restaurants!!
Jen says – reply to this

248

Today I woke up and had no job. Out of my control. We also employed no immigrants (at my store). Just americans, americans who are now jobless. And because we got paid minimum wage, I'm sure any unemployment benefits we could qualify wouldn't add up to jack shit anyway.

The decline in economy is only a small factor, Perez's article was very short and therefore not very informative to you jackass mushbrained net-posters. Franchise owned stores ARE NOT CLOSING. If you live near a franchise Bennigans, lucky you. The stores closing wasn't just because "business is slow", Metromedia Corp had thousands of dollars unpaid to parent company GE, so they filed for Chapter 7 bunkruptcy and shut down.

That being said, yes. The food was terrible. Everything is fried or grilled on grease. Over the past 3 years I've witnessed some major fat fucks getting fatter on the fried lard and cheese disaster they called Monte Cristos. Good Riddance to that!
Matt says – reply to this

249

Bennigans is still around?

CrawlSF.com
Mel says – reply to this

250

why can not you not report a story correctly???

only the non-franchised ones are closed. when you report things inaccurately you look like a fucking moron.
jenbu says – reply to this

251

nnnoooooooo!!! going to bennigan's was great when i was feeling like a big fatty who was beyond caring, i'd go in there and have the potato soup and the monte cristo and a few drinks and leave engorged. oh well, at least applebee's lives on.
Peppermint says – reply to this

252

At least the ones in MICHIGAN are staying open… at least the ones in WEST MICHIGAN!!! They are independently owned!! yay… cuz I love that place!
Laure says – reply to this

253

Yea i lost my job today without ANY warning!!!! I bartending in a NJ bennigans. I have spent the last 6 years of my life working for that place just for them to up and FUCK all of us. So now 5 places that have closed near me(all within 10 miles of each other)…all the people in those bennigans are looking for the same job i am…Good Fucking Luck to me right? OH and they are not paying us!!!!
Laure says – reply to this

254

Re: Laure –
AND to everyone that says they dont give a fuck….
give due respect to your fellow neighbors that are suddenly out of a job…
You may have hated the place but you still went there. NO ONE knew. ONLY BENNIGANS that are corporate closed but thats ALOT OF EFFING BENNIGANS…
Chant says – reply to this

255

I was at Bennigans yesterday!!!!! In Qatar …. that picture is of the one we have in Qatar!!
eddys says – reply to this

256

I lost my manginity in a Bennigans bathroom
zing! says – reply to this

257

Re: finn – Yeah, if we had more money for educators, maybe we'd have actual competition for teaching positions, and we wouldn't be stuck with people like Bas educating our kids.
Ala says – reply to this

258

RIP Monte Cristo sandwiches! WAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
The USA is falling apart!

BAHHHHSTARDS!!!!
Thank says – reply to this

259

I can't believe this didn't happen sooner. The last time I went to Bennigans in Tampa the food was terrible. There was about 6 of use and everyone had bad food. They aren't closing because of the econemy, there closing because there food sucks Balls. We ended up going from paying about 200 on our bill to about 40 bucks because we couldn't eat the food. Probably closed down because people started to sue from eating that garbage.
emma says – reply to this

260

never even heard of it…don't think they have those in MA.
chrle says – reply to this

261

Re: Bas18 – typical insular misanthropic republican. whitewash! whitewash! whitewash! blame other people! blame other people!
So tired of hearing ridiculously ignorant people spew garbage and pass the buck.
steph says – reply to this

262

NO MORE MONTE CRISTOS!!!!! I think I just died a little inside
Mont says – reply to this

263

its only the company owned bennigans that are closing not the franchised ones which make up a ton of them just so you knowwww
1986 says – reply to this

264

Bennigans LAKE BUENA VISTA, Orlando, FL
OH NO says – reply to this

265

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PLS? says – reply to this

266

PLEASE VISIT PEOPLEKLICK.COM!
venti says – reply to this

267

Now where am I going to drink in the middle of the afternoon?!!!
Alli says – reply to this

268

Butters will not be amused.
Paula says – reply to this

269

Not all—the ones in our area ares taying open…that is what they said on the radio this morning anyway.
Bas18 says – reply to this

270

Re: zing! – clearly you have no grasp on what the world of teaching is like if you don't think there is competition for jobs. im ahead of the competition, moron. once again, i planned ahead for myself and my future and graduated with two teaching degrees - one in a critical needs area.

and if i were you i would want me teaching your kids. just like religion, unfortunately, is out of the schools; politics has no place in my classroom - im not a social studies teacher. also, nothing ive said at all reflects on my ability to further educate your children. i teach children to be independent, self-reliant, and responsible, and if thats such a bad thing then im sorry for your children.
Steph says – reply to this

271

I'm actually glad that Bennigan's is closing down. I ocne went their for my cousins birthday dinner and the food was HORIBBLE!!! DX
ytnyb says – reply to this

272

NO!!! i lov bennys!!! they actually hav good food
sad day
trica says – reply to this

273

Re: Bas18 – May I suggest you crawl back under your rock and take your copy of atlas shrugged with you? misanthropic sounding wing nut.
Kids need to be taught social awareness and the currency of giving back and striving for positive change in their communities . Your idea of self reliance hinges upon something inherently unhealthy and completely destructive.
Nosth says – reply to this

274

there are still 40 or so opened that weren't named as debtors in the filing
Nosth says – reply to this

275

there are still 40 or so opened that weren't named as debtors in the filing
sigh says – reply to this

276

America is crumbling into a war mongering corporate dystopia under the republicans.. so sad.
Bas18 says – reply to this

277

Re: trica – how does your idea of what kids should be taught fit directly into a reading, writing, and math curriculum?
and if you want specifics, my curriculum does cover teaching kids to RELATE to other people and to behave appropriately in social settings.. however it doesnt say anything about supporting other peoples mistakes…you'd think the department of ed would want that in our curriculum if it was of all that much importance. maybe you should become a member of your states curriculum developers since you seem to know "so much" about what you're talking about…maybe they'll listen ha…. wait a second, i think i…. yeah i just had an idea… maybe you should teach that stuff AT HOME!!!!!! thats a start! or how about… dare i say it.. they learn it AT CHURCH!!
giving back should mean donating my time, not my money. and if you want my time you've already taken it. if you want my money, i wont give that up without a fight.
you were brought into this world by parents and grandparents who were self-reliant. go talk to them about how being independent and self-reliant is unhealthy and financially destructive.
maure says – reply to this

278

This is a lie…the bennigan's near my house is totally open for business!!!
MissD says – reply to this

279

The one on Rt.22 by me in NJ has been closed for about two months now I thought it was just closed for re-modeling until I payed attention to see that there were never any construction crews working when I drove past. Wow it sounds like Charlie Browns and Fridays are next.
um says – reply to this

280

Obama Saves Taxpayers Millions, McCain Breaks Laws, Which Makes News?
.
So let's get this straight: Obama decides to forgo public funding for his presidential bid, saving taxpayers over $80,000,000. Somehow this is covered by the mainstream media as a bad thing.
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Then John McCain once again breaks federal election finance laws, technically making him a criminal, and this gets ZERO mainstream media coverage?
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What the hell is going on? Does the press have an agenda once again to fix a U.S. Presidential Election? It's starting to look that way.
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While McCain and the Republican Party were counting on Fox News and the mainstream media to take the bait and attack Obama's decision to save the country millions, McCain and his lobbyist managers were conspiring how to manipulate laws controlling donation limits to candidates. Instead of the $2300 per person donation limit, which was set by a law McCain sponsored, under McCain's new scheme donors will be able to give $70,000 each. That's an increase of almost 3,000%. But the news is NOT the scheme to allow the fat cats who have prospered during the Bush-McCain raping of America to bankroll four more years, instead it's Obama saving taxpayers $85,000,000? Give me a break.
um says – reply to this

281

But this is not the first time McCain has either directly broken campaign finance laws or schemed to find loopholes. Where Obama said he would likely use public financing months ago, then changed his mind, it seems McCain did more than just say he might use it, he was certified to use federal public funds to finance his campaign. McCain then violated a federal election law by spending more money than allowed, then defended himself by claiming he withdrew from public financing. However, McCain actually used the public funds as collateral on a loan. By refusing the public funds he defaulted on the loan and broke federal election finance laws. McCain's group says he never officially accepted the federal money, but the SEC sent him a letter saying otherwise, and that the SEC "has not yet granted (McCain's) withdrawal request."
.
Unfortunately, or I should say, conveniently, the government body that enforces election finance laws, the Securities and Exchange Commission, is on hold because George W. Bush is playing games with four open positions by trying to nominate biased Republican buddies who will play loose with laws that protect individual investors from being scammed by folks like Enron. Without a full panel, the SEC cannot rule on campaign finance offenses. So McCain get's a free pass, not only in the courts, but by the mainstream media. Just like he has his entire career.
.
madi says – reply to this

282

Re: AgentGiggles. –
I agree, butters will be lost on his parents anniversary
madi says – reply to this

283

Re: AgentGiggles. you're right, where will he go on his parents' anniversary? –
nikki says – reply to this

284

not ALL Bennigans are closing, just the ones owned by that specific corporate chain.
I live in Iowa and the Bennigans owned by Kinseth are not closing, as most likely other franchises of the restaurant aren't closing either
LOL says – reply to this

285

Re: l –

LOL!!
lbou says – reply to this

286

bullshit.. i jsut ate there a 1/2 hour ago….
Matt says – reply to this

287

…happy happy anniversary…from all of us at…Bennigan's…*bursts into tears*
San D says – reply to this

288

Re: Miche –
What about the ones in Grand Rapids, Michigan???
brano says – reply to this

289

Re: l – hey dick i just happend to work at one of the bennigan actuall the best selling one in central fl best bar crowd thier are thousands of pissed off ppl here so u are fucking stupid and the fast food that i used to cook is probaly better than what u feed ur kids
Bmana says – reply to this

290

Re: kitch – the Franchises are not closing! We are doing very well and can now branch out of Coorperate America and go in our own direction! This is a blow, yes, however the franchise Bennigan's that are privately owned will not close their doors!
Tal says – reply to this

291

Although, yes we are currently in a recession (despite what the government says), this is not a major blow to the economy. Anyone who has worked at or even eaten at a Bennigan's more than once in the last two years should have seen this coming. I know I for sure did and I quit working there over a year ago (it's gone ven more downhill since I left!) Trust me, no one who worked at one is sad about anything other than the loss of shitty employment, and I'm sure Chili's will be more than happy to take them on.
Tania says – reply to this

292

I head that privately franchised Bennigans will remain open for business.
411 says – reply to this

293

I read in our local paper that only the corporate owned stores are closing. The franchises will stay open. In Chicago, this means that 4 of their 19 stores will stay open. So if you really love it, you may still find one around you.

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