Business & Tech
Pleasanton Sweet Tomatoes Not on List of Restaurant Closures, Company Says
BREAKING: None of the 49 Garden Fresh Restaurants in California are among the 20-30 locations being closed during a financial restructuring.
SAN DIEGO, CA — Following the news Monday that Garden Fresh, the San Diego-based company which operates Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes restaurants, had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and had plans to close 20-30 of its underperforming locations, a company spokesman had good news Wednesday for San Diegans and Californians in general who enjoy dining at the salad-bar chain.
"None of our restaurants in California are closing as a result of the Chapter 11 financial restructuring filing," Don Cowan, director of communications for Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp. told Patch in an email.
Founded in 1978 in San Diego, the company grew to more than 100 locations, 49 of which are in California. The San Diego-area locations include Carlsbad, Chula Vista, Del Mar, Encinitas, Escondido, Kearny Mesa, La Mesa, Mira Mesa, Mission Gorge, Point Loma, Rancho Bernardo and Vista, while Orange County has nine locations, Los Angeles County has 14, the Inland Empire, five, the San Francisco Bay Area, eight, and Fresno, one.
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Although Cowan assured no California locations were closing, he did not provide a list of those that were.
At least two stores were closed in Florida, The Florida Times-Union reported. Both Sweet Tomatoes locations in Jacksonville were abruptly shuttered Tuesday, leaving 57 mostly part-time employees out of work, the newspaper reported. They'd be open since 1999.
“It really is no reflection on the teams or the best efforts of the employees there, really. It was strictly a business decision that was part of an overall company restructuring that’s taking place,” Rick Van Warner, a Garden Fresh spokesman, told The Florida Times-Union.
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In a news release, the company said it expects to emerge from the Chapter 11 process by Dec. 5.
"Garden Fresh will operate our business as usual, and we remain focused on providing fresh, wholesome food and great service to our guests," said Garden Fresh CEO John Morberg. "By improving our capital structure through this restructuring, we'll be able to accelerate the changes underway to refresh our restaurants and build a strong future."
Photo courtesy Autumn Johnson/ Patch
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