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Viewer Comments On Bennigan's Shutdown

Bennigan's Grill and Tavern closed all of its corporate-owned locations nationwide on Tuesday after filing for bankruptcy, though independent franchises remain open for business as usual. We wanted to know what you think of the shutdown. Here's what you had to say:

It would be interesting to see the CEO and CFO of Bennigan's disclose their salary and benefits package for transparency and confidence that their salaries did not sink Bennigan's into financial ruin. --Warren Cusick from Mesa, Arizona

I am happy to see the restaurant is closing. It was a terrible place to work for. The store was very dirty and run down and employees were treated with great disrespect. My heart goes out to those employees now in search of a job in these rough economic times. --Ashley from Northwest Indiana

Another victim of the energy crisis. Until alternative energy becomes available in 10-20 years we must drill for oil and natural gas. By january what we see now on houses, gas price, retail and travel will seem very, very minor. A special session of Congess on ENERGY only is needed everything goes on the table. -- Deroy from West Palm Beach, Florida

Never been there. --LM from Camino, California

Good Riddance !!!! Last time my family and I dined at a Bennigan's and had fish we got sick. So good bye and perhaps some other restaurant will take your place. I do feel for the employees, many of whom in the location I post of seemed to be college students. --Pat from South Barrington, Illinois

It stinks. I'm a former employee and when you owe creditors and stop paying them for the past month we felt something was up. The owners fired the CEO 4 months ago and we where running to many promotions and giving too much to the guest and not bringing in repeat business, the hand writing was on the wall. If an investor has any money the should look into purchasing 150 S. Michigan, because it's a 6 million dollar location. --Tyrone Smith from Naperville, Illinois

It is their business! --Katherine from Austin, Texas

Another case of corporate greed out of control, taking to much profit and screwing the fromt line people. Management should be jailed for theft and conspiracy to defraud. --Bob from Memphis, Tennessee

Wow, I must admit to being a little shocked. I remember them in the 80's, with strong happy hours and great drinking hole. Lots of restaurant people use to go after there restaurant closed for the evening. I live in CO now so I have not kept up with there business, but this seems like it will be a trend for a lot of established chains with the economy slowdown. --Monica Adams from Englewood, Colorado

Just fine with me. They have had poor food and bad service at almost every location that I have ever visited. I quit eating in them several years ago. You could see this coming. --Jim from Tampa, Florida

They finally got what comes to businesses that ignore their consumer base. Have watched them change menus repeatedly only to offer less and less value while using the advertising to make you think you were getting more. They used to have some really great promotions, but that all disappeared along with their repeat customer program. When asked about things like that, managers would give cookie cutter answers that let you know they could have cared less about you as a customer. We used to go very often, but ridiculous numbers of menu changeups soured us out to the place. Every time you found something on menu you liked, next time you visited it had been replaced by something else. Not sorry to see them go, my tears for them shed a good while back when they REALLY died. --Howard Bell from Fort Worth, Texas

Never had really good and healthy food. Everything is fried..If you fry..you die. --Martin Hoffman from Orlando, Florida

There one of many that are gonna fall to the axe. The country is in serious finacial trouble, and the government screwed around about it for far to long. Issue like the cost of the war, Ethanol products, Foreclosures.... We haven't seen the worst of it. --Steve Petrillose from Black River, NY

They were poorly run and the one in Peabody, which has been closed for over a month now, was filthy. I'm suprised they lasted as long as they did. --Michael Hanlon from Peabody, Massachusetts

I am sorry to see Bennigans closing down. I used to take my children downtown and eat there as a treat. We loved their food. Especially their buffalo chicken. --Silvia from Chicago, Illinois

I don't care if our location here in Altamonte Springs, FL is open or not since they lost my business long ago. The place was always dirty and the service was terrible. The bar always smelled like vomit and it took forever to get a simple drink. Everyone working there clearly hated it. No fun...at all. Good riddance! --Jeff from Altamonte Springs, Florida

They allowed the quality of their food and their service to go downhill leading to the inevitable result of the closings. My wife and I stopped going many months ago. --Bill from Arlington, Texas

I hate this! I am a huge fan of Bennigan's and have always gone as often as I possibly can. They used to have a location in my hometown until about two years ago. I really wish it were still operating. --Joey Russell from Huntsville, Alabama

Never heard of them before this story. --Joel from Randolph, Vermont

There will be more. Corp. owned were trying to make a bunle. It takes a local owner to see what the comunity wants and then provide it. Corp. just look at bottom line and do not realy care for what local people want or need. There at way to may franchizes around and are just killing each other. I think Applebee's and even TGIF could be next. --Mike Daugird from Batavia, Illinois

Who cares? The food was terrible and the atmosphere wasn't much better. I'm surprised they lasted this long.--Nick from Stockton, California

It's a shame but a company filing bankruptcy almost has to do it without warning. You can't operate having the suspicion of bankruptcy hanging over your head. Human nature being what it is, there is the real threat of employee theft, among other things. --GBJ11 from Austin, Texas

Bennigans was a terrible company. The food was just like a microwave meal with larger portions than you get out of the freezer! Every time I would go to this restaurant the food was terrible. I don't know why I went as many times as I did. I knew that this restaurant would go out of business. This is not a surprise to me at all. People as well as myself demand quality, especially when the economy is the way it is. The company could of been saved by reinventing itself. What terrible leadership! I'm sure the employees will have no trouble finding jobs. There are plenty of restaurants in Chicago that would love to hire these good people with experience. --John Morris from Chicago, Illinois

Not a big surprise, they have been closed in the Phoenix area for at least a year, maybe longer, can't remember exactly when they closed. I drive by a fenced-off Bennigans every day on the way home from work. --Jerry Maple from Phoenix, Arizona

Personally, I was never satisfied with their food or their service. They disappointed me every time. I do not think it is a great loss for Tulsa with the exception, of course, for people who lost their jobs. --Christi from Tulsa, Oklahoma

Good bye to a poorly run and filthy restaurant chain. The 150 S. Michigan location in Chicago always had rude employees and giant roaches crawling on the walls and windows in plain sight. And the 225 N. Michigan was also filthy with sassy staff. Glad they're gone! --Greg from Chicago, Illinois

I stopped going to Bennigans when I saw their drink prices skyrocket. They would serve their customers liquor as if it were nitroglycerin, one precious drop at a time. At other local watering holes the good customer often gets a free drink at the bartender's discretion or at the end of a bottle--NOT AT BENNIGANS. Also the food kind of sucks. I won't miss 'em at all. I would rather support a local business owner anyway. Good Ridence! --Thomas Paine from Springfield, Pennsylvania

Duh! Our Bennigan's is always crowded. Most of the time you can't get into the place(even at lunchtime). --Patcee Ditche from Glen Burnie, Maryland

I am in deep mourning... i shed a tear... it was my favorite restaurant... I dont know where i'm gonna eat now :( --Crystyle from Hazelcrest, Illinois

HI, I believe that only corporate greed is to blame for the closing of company owned Bennigan's locations. I managed a location in Florida that did very well profit-wise (as did most other locations), but Metromedia has found a way to make a loser out of a winner! John Kluge, and those around him, have mis-managed their way into a black hole, where there was once a bright, shining light! --Drew

I couldn't care less personally, because I don't go to Bennigan's. But I do feel bad for people who may have lost their jobs. --Cheryl from Chicago, Illinois

This is just the start of more and more business closing their doors. Next it will be the shopping malls and more of lease payments needed will drive them out. And even now small businesses can't get loans. Thanks DEM-O-RATS!!! --Mike Blake from Grandview, Texas

The one by me had bad service and was too expensive. I hated that place. --Bman from Long Island, New York

If they are run like the one in Tyler, then I am not surprised. Food and service were poor and non-smoking areas were not enforced. --Elton Simpson from Longview, Texas

I am so upset. They have some of the best soup out there. And not only that, but when you do it in the middle of the night. It's sad. --Samantha Arnold from Bolingbrook, Illinois

Happy. Inconsistent food quality. Haven't ate there in 8 yrs. --Rhea from Chicago, Illinois

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