Incomplete list of announced United States food supply shutdowns for the month of January, 2015: Many food suppliers/distributors are consolidating operations and killing jobs due to the collapsing grocery store and restaurant industries, as well as rising costs of food production.
After only one year, award winning Modern Farmer magazine shutdown. Its blamed on disputes between the editorial staff and the billionaire who actually pays for the publication.
Canadian based international restaurant chain Tim Hortons (with at least 807 restaurants in the U.S.) killed off 350 of its HQ jobs in Oakville, Ontario, as well as regional corporate jobs! That’s according to Canadian news reports. It makes sense because Tim Hortons was recently taken over by Warren Buffet’s crony Brazilian vulture capitalist buddies at 3G Capital (you know, Buffet and his buddies at 3G Capital are the ones who killed off at least 3-thousand 4-hundred Heinz food jobs in Canada and the U.S. in 2014!) But here’s some more convoluted shell game facts. 3G Capital and Warren Buffet took over iconic U.S. Burger King chain in 2010, immediately eliminating 450 jobs! Then in early 2014, Buffet-3G owned Burger King bought Tim Hortons for $11.4-billion USD, but by December 2014 3G Capital went and bought Tim Hortons from its own Burger King for $12.5-billion! But wait there’s more! 3G Capital buys companies vulture capitalist Mitt Romney style, meaning the companies are bought with huge loans, and the immediacy of the loan payments is partly why vulture capitalists start slashing and burning jobs.
Alabama: After 25 years Applebee’s shutting down their Brookwood Village restaurant on 01 February 2015. The Texas based property owner refused to renew the lease with the restaurant. Cafe and market V.Richards shutting down, the store owner made the decision suddenly saying he will chase “other ventures”.
Arizona: In Tucson, after ten years The District Tavern shutdown, it’s blamed on jacked up rent.
California: Mexico based Bimbo Bakeries announced they will shutdown their Fresno bakery in March, 92 jobs lost. The bakery had been in use since 1926. Sandwich maker Raybern Foods issued WARNs saying they will shutdown operations in Hayward and Oakland in May, 158 jobs lost! Pleasanton Safeway grocery store headquarters will layoff at least 26 people by 13 February 2015. Grocery store Vons issued a WARN saying they will shutdown their Arcadia SuperStore in March, 168 jobs lost! Grocery store Albertsons issued WARNs saying they will shutdown their Marina Del Ray and San Diego stores in February, 143 jobs lost! Kroger owned grocery store Ralph’s issued a WARN saying they will shutdown a Los Angeles store in March, they did not state how many jobs will be lost. In San Francisco, former Netflix and Clinkle executive Andy Rendich is now the boss at Good Eggs, and is already chopping heads. Reports say the organic food delivery service has laid off about 32 employees as Rendich ‘restructures’ the three years old company. The layoffs took place not only in the Golden State but in New York and Louisiana. In Walnut Creek, baseball themed McCovey’s restaurant shutting down. The owners say they are trying to relocate near a real major league baseball stadium, if they can afford the rent. In San Diego-South Park, after six years Alchemy Dining announced it will shutdown in February. The co-owners said the economy is so bad, and competition so tight, that it’s not worth pouring money back into the restaurant: “We were noticing there was a decline in sales because of the market and age of our business, and just the general environment changing because of the amount of new restaurants in San Diego in general….We recreated the restaurant a number of times, from farm-to-table to street food to a neighborhood feel, and we got to a point where we would have had to sway a lot further and we made a choice not to.”
Connecticut: In Hartford, after 15 years Jojo’s Coffee Roasting shutdown. The pissed-off owner directly blamed the suck-ass economy, asking where’s the gott damned recovery: “The last six months have been the toughest for us businesswise…People say, ‘It’s up and coming its up and coming’. Well, it’s been up and coming for 15 years now! It’s not up and coming, I can tell you that!!!”-Bill Sze
In New Haven, the Anchor Bar shutdown without notice, local reports say employees were ordered not to say anything to the news media. In Norwich, after six years Chacer’s Bar & Grill shutdown, the co-owner blaming the suck ass economy not only for shutting them down but for destroying his marriage: “It wasn’t easy at all, and it took a toll on our marriage. It stinks because we had a lot of fun in that business.”-Geoffrey Chase
Georgia: Atlanta based iconic Coca-Cola announced it will add another 18-hundred job cuts to the previously announced 2-thousand!
Illinois: Iconic McDonald’s announced it will kill off 63 jobs at its Oak Harbor HQ in February. Burger joint administrators admitted that their sales sucked ass for the past 13 months. And administrators of McDonald’s Japan are reeling from crashing sales caused by food shortages, which in turn are being caused by a strike by dock workers on the U.S. west coast which has halted U.S. potato shipments to McDonald’s Japan, and food sabotage (strange things being found in the food). The Peruvian owned “intimate supper club “ Monari’s 101 announced it will shutdown in Spring. The owners said over the past two years they’ve tried to sell the restaurant with no takers, and they can’t wait any longer so they’ve decided to retire. In Chicago, after 50 years independent Family Pride Finer Foods grocery store announced shutdown, 35 jobs lost. The current owner blamed “competition” pointing out that there are now competing ‘big box’ grocery stores within “a two mile radius” of his store.
Indiana: General Mills announced they will shutdown their New Albany Pillsbury frigerated food factory by 2016, at least 400 jobs lost! Company administrators said they have “excess capacity”. That’s corporate speak for too much supply and not enough demand for their products (aka a suck ass economy).
Iowa: French based maker of polyols, starches, proteins, fibers and sweeteners Roquette America suddenly laid off 85 people at its Lee County factory. Apparently the mayor of Keokuk knew about the layoffs the week prior, but said nothing hoping the newly unemployed would be hired by other local businesses.
Kentucky: In Louisville’s upscale retail Highlands area, restaurant Palermo Viejo announced it will shutdown in February: “I wanted to thank the Louisville community for the opportunity to share my family’s food for the last 14 years. There are certain reasons why I am closing. But the most important is my family has sacrificed so that I can live my dream. I have come to a point where I feel they have sacrificed enough…….I plan to look into leasing the property.”-Francisco Elbl
Maine: After 46 years Iconic Kittery based Weathervane Seafood Restaurants has shutdown a restaurant in New Hampshire and three restaurants in Maine. The COO of the family run chain said “My family and I are sorry to have to make this difficult decision…” blaming “…current economic conditions…” (or what I call the suck-ass economy). The general manager of the Waterville Weathervane said any fool could see the economy is crashing and burning: “The final ending is certainly a shock. Was the writing on the wall? Certainly!”-Sean Callahan, whose restaurant had a big sign in the window saying “due to current economic conditions, this location is closed”
Massachusetts: Kickass Cupcakes now chapter 7 bankrupt busted. The cupcake company has been shutting down stores since 2013. The owner refused to talk to local news media.
Michigan: After only five years Just Baked cupcake shop shutdown ten of its Detroit metro area stores! In Jackson, after nine years Caffe Lilla shutdown, local news reports claim the owners refuse to say why.
Minnesota: No more RyKrisp crackers! ConAgra stated “After a careful evaluation of our options, ConAgra Foods has decided to exit the RyKrisp and rye cracker business and close the plant.” In Wrenshall, family owned One Stop Market shutdown. The owner blames a new unAmerican corporate America competitor for costing him big losses, just in December: “Their advertising, their marketing, free milk, and 99 cent butter….It just kills these little businesses, little towns…..we’re losing everything that we have as a family…”-Chad Pfau, now legally bankrupt
Mississippi: In Jackson, Kroger announced they will shutdown their more than 20 years old grocery store on Terry Road in February 2015, at least 109 jobs affected!
Missouri: Cargill announced it is shutting down their Springfield meat factory, by March, 118 jobs lost! Some employees will be able to move to Nebraska or Texas, if they want to keep their Cargill jobs.
Montana: In Missoula, after 41 years Curley’s restaurant was shutdown and sold off. The manager told local news that the reasons for the sale are private. In Billings, the Mongolian Grill shutdown, local news reports say nobody at the restaurant would talk to them. In Helena, after more than 25 years The Donut Hole shutting down. A financial partner backed out of a deal that would have seen the donut shop move to a new location, now it’s up for sale.
New Jersey: Belgium-Brazil owned beer brewer Anheuser-Busch announced it will kill off 60 jobs at its Newark brewery, in March: “After a thorough study, we have made the decision to idle the bottle line.”-Kevin Lee, general manager
New Mexico: Flying Star restaurants now chapter 11 bankrupt busted and shutting down two Santa Fe restaurants.
North Carolina: Vegetable dehydrator McCall Farms of Wilson issued a WARN saying it will shutdown in February, affecting as many as 285 permanent and seasonal jobs by the end of March! Beef prices the final straw in the killing off of another steak restaurant. After 30 years family owned Prime Sirloin buffet shutdown: “The building is old and the money to keep up the 30-year old property, which we leased, was simply going to be too much for us to keep on operating. We decided it was time to make the decision and like ripping off a band aid, there wasn’t any good way to do this.”-Lisa Martin, general manager
Iconic fruit supplier Chiquita announced it is pulling its HQ out of Charlotte, causing 320 jobs to be in limbo! Apparently company administrators don’t think the millions in taxpayer funded incentives are enough (they promised to pay back all the taxpayer funded incentives they got). A local politician had an epiphany about corporate America: “You can’t expect loyalty from any company if you’re paying them to move. Government was basically prostituting themselves to get them here. … Nobody falls in love with a prostitute.”-Bill James, Mecklenburg County commissioner
Another local politician describes unAmerican corporate America like this: “It’s like my dad always told me, if the girl dates you for your money, etc., remember there is always someone with more of whatever she is looking for.”-Jim Puckett, Mecklenburg County commissioner
Ohio: A Cleveland Noodlecat ramen restaurant shutdown, due to disagreements with the property owner over the lease.
Oregon: Safeway shutting down their Clackamas regional office, due to the takeover by Cerberus owned Albertsons. 91 jobs lost by March.
Pennsylvania: In Lower Paxton, after only two years ‘organic’ Smoke BBQ restaurant shutdown, the owners didn’t explain why. After 25 years Booty’s Place restaurant shutdown in the Church Hill Mall, the owner would only say “No comment.” A fundraising company that raises money for schools by selling food, Market Day, announced they would layoff 43 people in Cranberry Township by March. It’s blamed on crashing sales. In Allentown, after 97 years (surviving the Great deflationary Depression and numerous recessions) A-Treat Bottling soda-pop company shutdown suddenly, 40 jobs lost. People knew the end was near when back in November the family owned independent soda-pop maker canceled their deal with Walmart, because Walmart administrators demanded the family adopt unhealthy mass production methods. However, it turns out that A-Treat was fined in 2013 for unhealthy and unsafe working conditions by the federal government. And don’t blame the internet for their demise, reports say they were selling two dozen cases of their soda at least once per month over the internet. Don Cunningham, of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, blamed the “changing consumer market” (meaning Bad Economy) pointing out that even Coca-Cola and Pepsi are in trouble, it’s just the little guys can’t withstand the bad economy for as long as the big guys.
South Carolina: A Piggly Wiggly grocery store shutting down in Summerton. But don’t blame competition, it’s the only grocery store in town! It’s a result of the massive shutdown of Piggly Wiggly stores across the United States.
South Dakota: After 45 years the Ming Wah Cafe shutdown.
Tennessee: In Harding Pike, after only five years it was announced that the Harris Teeter grocery store would shutdown in February. The store was bought out by competitor Kroger, who already has a store in the same area.
Texas: In East Austin, Live Oak BBQ being shutdown and sold off by the owner, who said “simple math” proved it wasn’t worth it anymore. In Whitesboro, after 60 years the family owned Clinnon’s grocery store shutdown. In San Antonio, it was announced that a Sprouts grocery store would shutdown in March. In Rockwell, after only two years in their new location KE Cellars Winery shutdown: “We tried to make it work, but with so many sources of wine all over, road construction, a slow economy and everything Murphy could throw at us, it is just time for us to say we tried.”-owners
Virginia: In Old Town, after 64 years the Giant Food grocery store will shutdown. Company administrators say it’s because the town is too small to continue supporting it, and it’s not worth it to spend money on expanding it. News reports implied that there are too many Giant Food stores in the area around Old Town anyway. Minnesota based Famous Daves BBQ announced it’s getting the hell outta Richmond! All three stores already shutdown and the property is up for sale! Administrators say their restaurants never made enough money in Richmond.
Washington: Iconic Starbucks announced it will layoff a “small number” of employees at its Seattle HQ.
Wisconsin: Dean Foods announced it will shutdown its Sheboygan Verifine Dairy before April, at least 70 jobs lost. Company administrators said the suck-ass economy is forcing them to eliminate “redundancies”.
December 2014: “…we’ve hit the end!”