This Adored Restaurant Chain Just Closed All But One of Its Locations
As 2020 comes to a close, there's now only one location of Charlie Brown's Fresh Grill left to enjoy the restaurant chain's beloved steaks, prime rib, burgers, and salad bar. This time last year, Charlie Brown's had 14 locations, primarily in New Jersey, but thanks to the coronavirus pandemic, the grill was forced to shut down a significant portion of its business.
Now, Charlie Brown's Fresh Grill only lists its Scotch Plains restaurant on North Avenue on the locations page of its website. A spokesman told NJ.com that the closures are all COVID-19-related since strict stay-at-home orders were issued by New Jersey's governor in March. When restaurants were allowed to reopen again in the state, it was only at 25% capacity, which no doubt hurt many restaurants' chances of survival. (Related: 9 Restaurant Chains That Closed Hundreds of Locations This Summer.)
Charlie Brown's has been in business for over 50 years and had 49 locations in its prime. CB Holding, which owned the chain, filed for bankruptcy in 2010, according to NJ.com. More locations shut down over the following years, with two shuttering in 2018. The 14 that were left were scattered across New Jersey in Chatham, East Windsor, Oradell, Washington Township, Woodbury. There was even one in New York.
Alas, that's not the case anymore. And apparently, it was an unceremonious goodbye: No mention of the closures appears on Charlie Brown's Instagram and Twitter pages, and the restaurant's Facebook page has been deactivated.
For fans who live near the last remaining Charlie Brown's in Scotch Plains, a three-course Thanksgiving meal is available to order. It includes either turkey or ham with your choice of soup or salad, plus apple or pumpkin pie. You can also get enough food for all those at your table with a traditional turkey dinner, which includes gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, carrots, cranberry sauce, and more.
This chain is hardly the first to shut its doors this year across the country. Here are The Saddest Restaurant Closures in Your State.
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