It’s been a rough year for businesses of all kinds. Retailers have been closing stores all year, and chain restaurants aren’t far behind in shuttering locations.
A number of restaurant companies filed for bankruptcy in 2025. Some went out of business and shut down completely, while the luckier ones have survived — barely. Here are some of the big restaurant chains we lost this year.
Bravo! and Brio
Bravo Brio Restaurants, the company that owns both Bravo! Italian Kitchen and Brio Italian Grille, filed for bankruptcy in August. It was the second time that the business had filed for bankruptcy protection; the first was in 2020. The company’s restaurants were mall staples, and the company cited the decline in mall traffic as one of the reasons for its money woes. Rising costs of food and labor were also contributing factors.
Both restaurants are still in business despite the bankruptcy. Some locations have closed, but there are about 50 locations left between the two chains.
Hooters
Popular — and controversial — sports bar chain Hooters filed for bankruptcy in March. It cited rising costs and lower customer demand, and planned to use the bankruptcy process to restructure the business. To that end, Hooters sold all company-owned locations (as opposed to franchised locations) back to one of the chain’s original founders in November. He plans to update locations and go back to the slightly less revealing jogging shorts for its employees.
Despite the sale, about 30 Hooters locations closed in summer. There are now about 200 locations left.
Bar Louie
Bar Louie is a gastrobar chain that started in Chicago. At its peak in 2019, it had about 135 locations, but it filed for bankruptcy in March of this year. It was the second time the chain had declared bankruptcy, with the first one in 2020 just before the pandemic started. In court filings, the chain cited changing customer preferences and rising costs as the reasons for its massive debts.
At the time of its first bankruptcy, the chain closed around 40 locations. This go around, about 15 restaurants were closed. Now, that chain is down to 39 locations left.
On the Border
On the Border is a Dallas-based Tex-Mex chain that was founded in the 1980s, serving up favorites like fajitas and queso. In March, it filed for bankruptcy, citing the difficult macroeconomic environment, labor shortages, and rising costs of doing business as reasons for the filing. It soon closed 40 underperforming restaurants.
But there was light at the end of the tunnel for On the Border. A few months later, the chain was purchased by Pappas Restaurants, which has plans to improve the menu, operations, and customer experience. Now the chain has about 50 locations left across the country.
Bertucci’s
Founded in Massachusetts, Bertucci’s is an Italian restaurant chain specializing in brick oven pizzas, pastas, and classic entrees like chicken piccata. At its peak less than a decade ago, there were about 60 locations, mostly on the East Coast. But in April, the chain filed for bankruptcy, citing a drop in customer demand. It was the third time the chain had filed for bankruptcy in seven years.
Somehow, the chain is still operating. Now, there’s only about a dozen locations left after closing more during this year’s bankruptcy, most still in Massachusetts.
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More Restaurant Chains That Filed for Bankruptcy in 2025
- Opa! Authentic Greek Cuisine – Filed for bankruptcy and closed all locations in September
- Planta – Filed for bankruptcy in May, but is still operating
- Iron Hill Brewery – Filed for bankruptcy and closed all locations in September
- Abuelo’s – Filed for bankruptcy in September
- Sticky Fingers – Filed for bankruptcy in March and closed all locations
