In recent weeks, Ignite Restaurant Group has shuttered more than 40 locations across the country in wake of its June Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The company, owner of the Joe's Crab Shack and Brick House Tap + Tavern concepts, was won August 7th by Landry’s Inc., (which like Ignite, is based in Houston, Texas) in a bankruptcy auction.
Landry’s founder, Chairman, and CEO Tilman Fertitta originally bought Joe’s Crab Shack in 1994, then a single restaurant. In 2006, he sold the brand, along with 120 locations, to private-equity firm J.H Whitney & Co., which went public in 2009 and assumed the Ignite Restaurant Group name.
Landry’s owns nearly 50 restaurant brands including Rainforest Cafe, Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., McCormick and Schmick’s and Morton’s. The firm also operates a number of casinos and hotels.
As of April 3, in its last public report before the company's stock was delisted, Ignite reported 112 Joe’s Crab Shack restaurants and 25 Brick House units in 32 states.
The Joe's Crab Shack website indicates that there are currently 72 restaurants open across 24 states.
In an August 8 interview with trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN), Fetitta indicated that “We’ll probably end up with about 60 units.”
Ignite has also closed a couple of Brick House locations, shrinking the chain to 23 units, none in Georgia. The same NRN article indicated Fertitta intends to sell the Brick House concept once the acquisition of Ignite closes.
In Atlanta, Joe's abruptly shuttered its Duluth location at 1590 Pleasant Hill Road. Other Joe's Crab Shack locations in Georgia remain open at 1965 Mount Zion Road in Morrow, 2501 Cobb Place Boulevard in Kennesaw, and 504 E. River Street in Savannah.
In years past, the chain has closed at least five other Atlanta restaurants including those at 10800 Haynes Bridge Road in Alpharetta, 3013 Peachtree Road in Buckhead, 2175 Cobb Parkway in Marietta, 4300 Stone Mountain Highway in Lilburn, and most recently, 2868 Chapel Hill Road in Douglasville this past fall.
The Alpharetta location had most recently operated as Spice Brick Oven Pizza, but the pizza restaurant recently closed. The Buckhead location was demolished nearly a decade ago, and today its property is part of The Shops Buckhead Atlanta development. The Lilburn location, which shuttered last year, remains vacant but its property is reportedly seeing interest from developers. The Marietta location has been demolished and is reportedly vacant. My friend at The City Menus reports that the former Douglasville location will be demolished and replaced with a new Panera Bread.
Are you surprised to see Joe's Crab Shack close so many locations? What would you like to see open in place of the former Lilburn, Alpharetta and Duluth locations? Where is your favorite "chain seafood" eatery?
Please share your thoughts below.
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